


I Swear to Burn Brightly

by spooky_lilith



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, Angst, Drama, Eventual Romance, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Multi, Multishipping, Role Reversal, Science Fiction, Slice of Life, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-29
Updated: 2018-09-16
Packaged: 2018-11-21 02:02:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 117,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11347581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spooky_lilith/pseuds/spooky_lilith
Summary: Connie Quartz. Daughter of Rose Quartz, taken from birth, who lives an idyllic life with the Crystal Gems: Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl, who have sworn to watch over her until the day comes where she can claim her own legacy.Modified Roleswap AU, where Steven Quartz Universe has switched places with Connie, now daughter of Rose Quartz, taken from birth. Bringing forth a plethora of changes to the SU canon with a far greater emphasis on the gems; some important, many more negligible, and some brought in just for the sake of shipping. (Connverse, Pearlmethyst, Amedot) (All underage ships are age appropriate.)





	1. Mirror Gem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connie befriends a magical mirror that can mysteriously communicate with her through recordings of what it has seen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Connie does not wear glasses, and wears varied summer outfits like in the show, each with a star insignia visibly embedded somewhere on her outfit.
> 
> (I just came here bc of a ship when does it begin)  
> Connverse begins in 4: Making Friends (though their relationship is not explicitly romantic yet.)  
> Pearlmethyst begins in 7: Interlude: Confused.  
> Amedot confusedly begins in 12: Interlude: Too Far

_"Don’t worry. We’ll call for you whenever Connie needs you.”_

 

_He would wait a decade in Beach City to answer that call._

 

_It would never come._

 

_After a decade or so, he would realize this._

 

_As the world turned a new page, so would he, forcing him to move on from Beach City._

 

_But his thoughts became plagued with regrets, and dreams of a another life, had he made a different decision, a different choice, infested his mind without end until he had nearly fallen into despair._

 

_It was only when he realized that it was always meant to be, did he finally accept his loss._

 

_That it would be the price he paid in the end, for having fallen in love with Rose Quartz._

 

_Such is the strange and twisted hand of fate._

 

oOoOoOo

 

  When she feels the cool ocean breeze tickling her nose, the girl named Connie Quartz finally stirs from her nap and awakens, finding herself resting upon a grassy knoll overlooking Beach City.

 

  All by herself, save for her copy of Unfamiliar Familiar, though it was not the adventures of Lisa the witch and her familiar Archimicarus which had made her drowsier earlier. She distinctly remembers what she had been doing before falling asleep; a familiar game where she would debate whether to go down and try to make friends in Beach City, or head back home. Naturally, her body had opted for the ‘abstention’ option.

 

  Her bones and muscles protest as she tries to pick herself off the ground and stretch, her joints cracking sharply. As she stretches however, she finds a familiar tune stuck in her head once more.

 

_“He's a frozen treat with an all new taste-”_

 

_“-cause he came to this planet from outer space-”_

 

_“-A refugee of an interstellar war-”_

 

_“-But now he's at your local grocery store.”_

 

  She finds it strange that she had been reminded of the theme song of the tasty (though not special) Cookie Cat when there really wasn’t anything special in particular behind the confectionery brand (save for the awfully cute design of the ice cream sandwiches.) Maybe she was hungry for sweets? (When is she not?)

 

  It was flat out obvious the backstory behind Cookie Cat didn’t have too much thought put into it, him just serving his purpose as a corporate mascot, a tool used to create an ‘image’ in the minds of adolescent children everywhere. Such that, when thoughts of frozen dairy confectioneries invaded the minds of adolescents,  the image of Cookie Cat would spring up leading them to Cookie Cat vendors… alongside their parents’ hard earned money. An effective method of subliminal messaging.

 

  ...According to Pearl, anyway. Memories of a stern lecture a few years back (when Cookie Cats had still been in production) from Pearl floods her mind, when the Gems had gotten her an entire box full of Cookie Cats for her birthday. Long story short, she had gotten over excitable that day and had eaten them all in one night, earning her a very upset stomach, and an exasperated lecture from Pearl. (Alongside a high-five from Amethyst.)

 

  Speaking of Pearl, she and Connie hadn’t really talked this morning. Pearl had excused herself after making breakfast as she always did, this time saying she was working on something involving a “Red Eye” of the sort. Once again, a matter much too dangerous for Connie to take part in. (Or even know any details about for that matter.)

 

  A weary sigh escapes from her lips. These days, whenever Pearl wasn’t on a mission, doing housework, or keeping Connie up with her homeschooling (which Pearl was in complete charge of,) she would always make herself busy working on her gadgets and projects in her own room, leaving little time for... friend or mom stuff. Same with Garnet and her missions, especially of lately. Or Amethyst with her parties.

 

  Leaving Connie with only the citizens of Beach City as her only chance of social interaction. She had made friends with Lars and Sadie from the Big Donut at the very least, though it was mostly a relationship of necessity, since Connie needed a source of sweets independent from the Gems.

 

  Now, Connie was finding herself back in that oh so familiar dilemma she had become so accustomed to; to head back home, or to go down to Beach City to make more friends.

 

 In the end, she would find herself walking alongside the path she had grown so familiar with over the years, back towards Beach House.

 

oOoOo

 

  Making her way up the familiar steps onto the patio, Connie had anticipated the presence of the gems once she made her way home. She hadn’t been anticipating being ambushed by a gem monster upon stepping inside, and her heart to leap out of her throat.

 

   "Gyaah!" She panics.

 

  Struggling to hold back the Connie-sized, centipedal chitin with her arms, the green abomination stares her in the eye, (which was strangely located within the maw,) daring her to continue struggling.  “W-what… are… you…” She grunts out whilst struggling to keep what she believes is the mouth from clamping down on her head.

 

  A sharp lashing. Amethyst’s whip intervenes, wrapping around the body of the gem monster. A yank from Amethyst takes the pressure off of Connie, launching the gem monster at a velocity poofing it on impact.

 

  Connie had been right about the presence of the gems at the very least. The battle between the gems and the monsters is plainly one-sided, the only factor prolonging the battle are the sheer numbers of the monsters, and their propensity to hide as a tactic.

 

  “Connie! I thought we told you to stay outside until the problem was taken care of!” Is what Pearl greets her with, not unexpectedly.

 

  “W-what are those?” Connie ignores, mildly curious, mildly horrified at the monstrosities of the day.

 

  Lifting up the monster, Pearl groans out of revulsion. “They’re called Centipeetles. We think they were trying to get into the temple.”

 

  “Huh. Centipeetles. Interesting…” Connie muses, taking interest in their strange form whilst keeping a generous distance between her and the fight, just how the gems liked it.

 

  “Um, you guys?” Amethyst calls, her voice raised from the other room. “These things don’t have gems.”

 

  “Then that means there must be a mother somewhere nearby.” Garnet muses, before smashing her fist into the jaw of the Centipeetle attempting to sneak up behind her, it's form collapsing into dust and aether.

 

  “Then we should find it before anyone gets hurt.” Pearl follows.

 

  Noticing that the skirmish is almost over, Connie nervously clears her throat. “That means it’s just one gem monster right? That means it’ll be safe for me to come with you guys then!”

 

  Still handling her Centipeetle, Pearl gives her a look which indicates a weariness with the familiar question, before explaining. “Connie, until you learn to control the powers in your gem, we’ll take care of protecting humanity, okay?”

 

  An expected response. “But you guys always say that! My powers don’t look like they’ll come in anytime soon! At least let me watch you guys so I can learn, maybe that’ll help my powers grow in faster-”

 

  “Connie.” It’s Garnet’s voice. “I understand you’re excited to be a Crystal Gem, but bear with us. We’ll know when you’ll be ready. And when you are, you’ll know as well.”

 

  Though Garnet’s presence and words were soothing, always feeling genuine, it doesn’t soften the feeling of disappointment. "But…”

 

  Garnet smiles, putting her hand on her shoulder as a comforting gesture. “I promise Connie, that we’ll be ready when you are.”

 

  Realizing that was Garnet’s (and by extension, the Gems’) final answer, the half-gem relents.

 

  Her right foot begins tapping anxiously not long after; there's another question to be asked.

 

   "Yes Connie?" Garnet tries to coax it out.

 

   The half-gem starts, "so…Pearl…?”

 

  “Yes Connie?” Pearl hands her Centipeetle off to Garnet (who promptly disposes of it with her gauntlets.)

 

  “I was wondering… if there were other ways I could learn faster? To help me gain control over my powers quicker?” Connie asks, her eyes full of stars.

 

  Pearl, suddenly feeling a bit more excitable, smiled, clapping her hands together. “I suppose… I have been considering a gift for you since our lessons together have been remarkably successful...”

 

  The half-gem feels a wave of magical energy exude from the alabaster gem's physical form. Her gemstone projects a beam of light, and within it is a form of matter that takes on a corporeal form, falling safely into her hands.

 

  It takes the form of a mirror, with silver-blue metal forming the frame. On the back, a cracked tear. “We found this Gem-powered mirror at the Galaxy Warp. It can capture and display any event it’s witnessed in all of Gem history. It’ll offer you everything you’ve ever wanted to know about your fellow Gems and our culture.”

 

  Her eyes look like they’re full of stars and about to cry; she's lost total control over her right foot. “May… I see?” She asks.

 

  “Yo Connie, you’re doing the whole ‘Pearl thing’ again.” Amethyst comments, referring to Connie’s appearance, which is strongly resemblant of Pearl whenever she gets too excited.

 

  “Am not!” Connie puffs back.

 

  “So are.” Amethyst replies.

 

  “You definitely were.” Garnet adds, embarrassing the poor girl.

 

  “That’s enough Amethyst.” Pearl smiles, handing over the mirror. “Of course you can see, Connie.”

 

  Careful to handle the mirror with utmost care, she readily accepts Pearl’s gift. Being foreign to gem technology however, means that she has absolutely no idea how to use it, other than being able to stare at her own reflection for an awkward moment. "Um… so how does it work?” she asks.

 

  “Ah, let me demonstrate.” Pearl says, bending down to Connie’s level before clearing her throat. “Ahem. Show us the Galaxy Warp.”

 

  Nothing.

 

  “Show us the Galaxy Warp.” Pearl asks again.

 

  Again, nothing save for the reflection of Pearl’s confused face.

 

  “Must be busted P.” Amethyst comments, before heading off. “I’m gonna go check the front patio for any more of those Centipeetle things. You coming G?”

 

  “Right behind you.” The two take their leave. Signaling their departure, are the creaky hinges of the door squeaking in protest, signalling they'll need to be oiled once more.

 

  “I know you’ve seen it…” Pearl sighs in disappointment. “It is in pretty rough shape… It must finally be broken. What a shame.”

 

  “Even if it’s busted, may I still have it?” Connie asks, grateful to receive any hand-me down gem technology from Pearl.

 

  Sighing, Pearl nodded. “No harm done I suppose.”

 

  Squealing in delight, the plucky girl runs outside of the beach house with the mirror, made excited by her new gem tool.

 

  “...Does she really look like me when she gets excited?…” Pearl wonders out loud to herself.

 

oOoOo

 

  Realizing she was still hungry for something with… sugar from her Cookie Cat train of thought from earlier, she finds herself approaching the familiar donut shop, mirror in hand.

 

  She receives an enthusiastic greeting on arrival, by Lars, who is asleep and snoring loudly, all while slumping onto the cash register.

 

  “Lars!” His co-worker scolds, causing him to jolt.

 

  “Wha-didn't do it!" Once he properly identifies who is threatening him and his space, he grumbles. Oh… it’s you again… what’s her face.” He mutters out loud, rubbing his groggy eyes.

 

  “Connie. Connie Quartz.” She clarifies, undeterred by his usual attitude.

 

  “Right, the ‘half-gem’ hero who really likes our donuts for whatever reason.” Lars replies, mimicking air quotes around the word half-gem.

 

  “Lars, be nice. Don’t make me report you to the boss.” Sadie scolds. “Hey Connie. Nice mirror.” She was refilling the soda machine when Connie came in, and upon greeting her, receiving a smile and a thanks in return.

 

  “Oh nooooo.” Lars groans, sarcasm in full force. “Like the boss-man ever comes in here, lazy f-look, what do you want kid?”

 

  “I’m not just a kid. I’m a Crystal Gem, and I’m thirteen you know.” Connie replies, arms crossed, shoulders up in an attempt to imitate Garnet.

 

  “Oooh, middle school." Lars taunts, earning him a confused look from Connie, not too familiar with the term. "Yeah yeah, magic-belly-button and all that magic-junk. You gonna buy something or what? If not, then quit bothering me and let me... lounge.” Lars spits back without malice, armed only with an extreme lack of engagement with… everything, in general.

 

  “Lars.” Sadie scolds.

 

  It was easy to get used to Lars and his typical mannerisms, with enough exposure of course, and Connie is no exception. “One chocolate glazed donut please.” She orders, undeterred.

 

  “Sprinkles or no? Cream filling as well?”

 

  “Sure. And why not.”

 

  “Here. Don’t give yourself a heart attack with this stuff kid.”

 

  “Lars!”

 

  “Look come on, that’s a fair warning alright? Don’t pretend the food we’re selling is health food!”

 

  A groan escapes from Sadie’s lips (though Lars does have a point,) before she walks over to Connie to hand her a cup of water. “Here Connie. Just for you. Don’t inhale the whole thing in one bite.” She teases.

 

  “Thanks! And I won’t.” Connie calls back, before leaving out the door, earning a wave-goodbye from the two employees. Once she safely outside, she congratulates herself for her successful social interaction, before unwrapping her reward. “Oh delicious mass-produced fried dough confectionery treat. How you comfort me in these difficult times so-” Connie muses, before inhaling the entire thing in three bites.

 

   _“Connie-look-”_

 

  And thus, whilst distracted by her treat, she runs into someone whilst walking, and spills her water as she falls backwards onto the ground.

 

 “Nooooo! Who spilled water all over my outfit!?”

 

  Cringing but still scared, she recognizes the voice. Though she didn’t ‘know’ people in Beach City (despite having lived here her whole life,) there was one voice that anyone, even a hermit like her, could recognize, for reasons infamous.

 

  Kevin looks like he’s about to explode. “Yo kid, you gonna do something about ruining my clothes or what!?”

 

_Before she had the chance to explain and stammer out an apology, the mirror’s image morphed into Lars, erupting with a sharp, painful sound that caused Connie's ears to recoil out of pain. “Leave.”_

 

  “Yo twerp, you spilled water on me, I demand an explanation-”

 

   _Lars’ image appeared within the mirror’s reflection still, though there was a pause between words, the sound being low and distorted, and just as painful to hear for both parties. “Warning-Leave.”_

 

Grumbling, confused, and unwilling to figure out what exactly is going on here, he picks himself up, still steaming, and stomps his way past Connie. “This is messed up, you’re lucky I don’t hurt kids.”

 

_Lars’ image again, though three times. “Blah-Blah-Blah.”_

 

   "Screw you kid!"

 

  “Wait… what just happened?” Connie asks herself, dazed and staring at the mirror’s morphing image. “You... you… work?”

 

_The Mirror’s image morphed into that of Sadie. “Hey Connie.”_

 

“Whoa… **this… is… so… cool**! How do you work!? I have to find out!”

 

_The mirror began flashing between the captured images of Sadie and Lars, with brief pauses in between.  “Mirror-Look-Mirror-Look-Mirror-Look.”_

 

  She scratches her head, and adopts a ‘Thinker-esque’ pose. “Oh I see, so you just repeat whatever you’ve been around to see and hear?”

 

   _Lars. “Yeah.”_

 

  She can feel her pride swell up from her first hypothesis being correct. “So you can really think… and communicate like… an actual person?”

 

 _Lars still._ _“Yeah.”_

 

  “Oh my stars. This… this is… this is just like Unfamiliar Familiar! You, you’re my familiar Archimicarus, and I can be Lisa. This is amazing! I… we can go places… and go on adventures… and maybe meet new people… alright I might not be ready for the meet new people thing but I am so ready for the places and adventures and oh-gosh-I’m-excited-”

 

   _The mirror’s image shifted into that of Connie, complete with stars in her eyes. “Cool!”_

 

  “Oh my stars. I really do look like Pearl when I’m excited.”

 

oOoOo

 

  Connie would spend an hour talking to the mirror about the Spirit Morph Saga, starting with the dynamics of the relationship between Lisa and Archimicarus, and how the two characters allowed the author to explore the power dynamic within master-servant like relationships. She loved how the Spirit Morph Saga series explored the themes of anti-authoritarianism (dedicating an entire fifteen minutes to that topic) but in the end she didn’t mention anything about Destiny’s End however, for that was a story for… well... never, really.

 

  “I bet since the books got so popular, the publisher put pressure on the author to water down the end for a larger audience appeal. J mean I would be lying if I said the whole wedding wasn’t heartwarming because anyone could see it coming. Especially that moment in book three when Archimicarus cried because Lisa fell into the volcano, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t happy for them but… it was a total deus ex machina how he turned into a falcon! Plus they completely dropped all the anti-authoritarian stuff and described a wedding cake for fifty pages!” She puffs, seething with distaste for the disrespect and waste of the reader's time.

 

   _The mirror’s image and sounds shifted to one of Connie laughing from earlier._

 

  A brief pause, just long enough to knock her from her rant and make her self-conscious about herself. “That’s… that’s what I think about the Spirit Morph Saga...I...I’m sorry talking so much about the series. I mean, I just met you and I just ranted for nearly an hour talking about it and…”

 

   _The mirror’s image shifted to that of Lars, nearly asleep at the front desk, complete with snoring._

 

  Connie stifles a laugh. “Oh come on, I wasn’t that boring was I?”

 

   _The mirror’s image and sounds shifted to one of Connie with a "No." then to another one of Connie, laughing from earlier._

 

  “So you have a sense of humor as well…” The more she talked to the mirror, the more she found it certain that it really was a sentient being, one with emotions and desires. “Hey, I just had an idea. What if I take you up to my favorite spot in all of Beach City? It would guess that a mirror like you doesn’t really get out to see much.”

 

   _Connie. “Cool!”_

 

oOoOo

 

  After a short walk, she would make her way back to the same grassy knoll nestled on the outskirts of the town that overlooked Beach City, the same one where she had woken up earlier. Taking a seat in her familiar spot, she laid down on her back and let out a tired yarn.

 

  “Well, this is it. Beach City in it’s entirety. It’s… wow, it’s never looked so beautiful like this before…”

 

  Late afternoon in Beach City. The sun was about to set, indicating that the passage from day to night was finally completing itself. Downtown Beach City bathing in radiant orange light, the city readying itself for the arrival of the night sky.

 

   _By this point the mirror had gathered enough images of Connie to avoid using the ones gathered earlier. Connie. “It’s-wow.”_

 

 “I mean…” Connie pauses. A giggle turns into a chuckle, and soon she starts laughing at herself. “Isn’t… isn’t this kinda sad?”

 

_Connie's image. "What do you mean.”_

 

  “I mean… here I am, talking to a mirror thinking like it’s someone. It’s kind of sad isn’t it?” Connie muses, still laughing at herself.

 

  _“No-it-isn’t.”_

 

Connie’s laughter falters, leading to her raising an eyebrow. “Really?”

 

   _“it-isn’t.”_

 

“Thanks for comforting me mirror-bud. But-”

 

   _“Really-it-isn’t.”_

 

  She scoffs at the flattery, taking amusement that a mirror was going to such lengths to comfort her. “Thank you. Really. I mean it. I’m just… I’m just not sure why I keep thinking these things. I mean, I am a Crystal Gem! Even if they won’t trust me to go on missions with them. I also technically have three moms even though I haven’t spending much time with them lately, so I just don’t feel like I have much of a reason to feel lonely you know?”

 

  When the mirror fails to respond, she continues.

 

  “I mean, they still haven’t taken me on a mission, and every time I fulfill one set of requirements they give to me that they say serve as ‘training’ for becoming a Crystal Gem,” Connie mutters, feeling her irritation growing, her fingers forming air quotes around 'training.’ “They're always raising the goalposts over and over and over again, so I’m always stuck home.”

 

  “And… Garnet always feels so distant for whatever reason whenever we’re together, which hasn’t been very often recently since the Gems have gotten so busy with missions lately. And Pearl… ever since I’ve grown older, she’s always been keeping herself busy inside her room, always working on some new project. And when she **is** with all of us, she’s always bickering with Amethyst, who’s always off doing her own thing whenever she’s free. I wish I could make friends outside of the Crystal Gems but all I have are Lars and Sadie at the Big Donut, and even then we never really talk outside of whenever I go over to buy food. Plus, Lars is always rude to me. W-well, he’s rude to everyone but maybe he thinks I’m especially annoying and Sadie I’m not sure what she thinks of me since the whole never talking thing and what if she’s making fun of me behind my back and…”

 

  Her train of thought fades away into nothingness when she feels a cold, empty breeze scraping her cheeks. “I… I don’t mean to be like a cliche character and embody the ‘I have no friends’ trope... but… even with three moms… I guess I still feel lonely all the time for whatever reason.”

 

_“Connie— is— a new friend.”_

 

  The girl shakes her head in disbelief. “R-really?”

 

_Lars’ image. “Yeah.”_

 

  A pause.

 

  “Really?” She asks again.

 

_Lars’ image again. “Yeah.”_

 

  Another pause.

 

  “Really?”

 

_The mirror took a moment this time to reform its image, until deciding on Lars asleep again, complete with snoring sound effects._

 

  Connie snorts, and laughs uncontrollably. “I… you… you know what, I don’t care what others think. You **are** a sentient being, and you’re my friend too.”

 

   _An image, and the sound of Connie laughing._

 

“I… I have to tell the gems about all of this, they’ll be so excited!”

 

_Kevin’s image. “Noooo!”_

 

  “Maybe... if I show you to them, they’ll finally believe I’m smart enough to take care of myself and be useful on missions!” Connie muses to herself, having started back towards Beach House, the mirror’s earlier protests going over her head.

 

   _“Noooo!”_

 

  “Oh come on, what are you so worried about? I know they can be flawed like I said, but they’re still my family, and I’m sure you’ll love them.”

 

oOoOoOo

 

   Having run halfway across Beach City, she briefly stops to collect her breath on the patio before opening the door to let herself in, finding the gems lounging in the living room. “Hey guys! Take care of that Centipeetle mother yet!?”

 

  Garnet adjusts her visor. “Not yet Connie. We’re just taking a moment to regroup and plan.”

 

  “It’s hiding somewhere in Amethyst’s room, which wouldn’t have happened if someone hadn’t gotten hungry in the middle of the search.” Pearl comments.

 

  “Yeah shove off P. It’s not my fault you guys couldn’t catch it earlier-”

 

  “Well, if it’s safe in here,” Connie interrupts, “I was wondering if I could show you guys something big!”

 

  “Of course Connie.” Pearl responds, sighing.

 

  “I fixed the mirror!” She declares, holding it up.

 

  That gets everyone fully engaged. “E-excellent work Connie! How did you figure that one out?” Pearl asks, gleaming with praise for her student.

 

  “I just talked to it like it was a person. It’s my new friend, see?”

 

  Interest turns to shock. “Wait. What?” Pearl asks in disbelief.

 

  Say "hi!" Connie commands, only to receive no response from the mirror.

 

  “...Mirror buddy? ... Umm... please?” She asks, shaking the mirror, only to receive the sound and image of Lars snoring on high blast.

 

  Connie laughs. “Oh come on mirror-bud, take this seriously, they’re my family you know?”

 

   _“Just-for-you-Connie!”_

 

  “It’s taking to her? It shouldn’t be able to do that. I-it should just be following orders…” Pearl stutters in panic.

 

  “Garnet, do something.” Amethyst says, obviously discomforted by the whole situation.

 

  “Connie…” Garnet says calmly as she begins approaching her.

 

_The mirror morphed into Kevin’s image. “Nooooo!”_

 

“What is that horrible sound coming from the mirror?” Pearl asks.

 

   “I dunno, but make it stop.” Amethyst says.

 

“You should just give us back the mirror. It will be safer where we can watch it.” Garnet says.

 

“Yeah, let’s bubble it!” Amethyst proclaims excitedly.

 

   _“Nooooo! Nooooo!”_

 

  Connie to the mirror begging for her help, then back at Garnet’s stoic eyes. She feels a knot twist in her stomach. “What…”

 

  Garnet kneels down, deciding she will use diplomacy to coax the tool from the girl. “Connie. Don’t make me have to take it from you.”

 

  “B-b-but…”

 

   _“Nooooo!”_

 

  “Connie, it’s just a mirror, a tool. It can’t want anything.”

 

   _“Nooooo!”_

 

  “I… I suppose you’re right.” She admits reluctantly, allowing Garnet to grasp the mirror. But then she feels a hot tear drip down her cheek, and hands lock up, refusing to let go.

 

  Garnet realizes the girl is being stubborn, so she smiles in a move to ease the situation. “Connie... I know what you’re thinking. But please, let us handle it. We know more about it than you do.”

 

  “ _Nooooo!”_

 

“I…I thought you would understand...” Something breaks inside of her.

 

  “ _Nooooo!”_

 

  It is like a game of tug-of war now, only it is one that Garnet could easily win at any time of her choosing, but chooses not to so she can be patient and diplomatic with the girl. “Come on now Connie. Just let go-”

 

  “ _Nooooo!”_

 

  “I… I can’t...I won’t! You might think that this mirror can’t feel anything, but I know it better than any of you!” Pulling the mirror back as hard as she can, Connie feels only Garnet’s immense strength on the other end as the gem does her best to keep the situation under control.

 

  “Connie, you’re acting ridiculous-” Garnet states, still opting for a diplomatic solution.

 

  “ **N-no** **you’re** **acting ridiculous** !” Keeping her eyes level with Garnet, Connie stomps her foot onto the floor with enough force to make the entire beach house creak. “ You guys **never** trust me! You never let me go on missions! You never let me do anything cool with magic! Why can’t you guys just trust me for once!”

 

  “Connie please-” Pearl attempts to plead.

 

  “I know what the mirror wants!” She cries. “The mirror is **my friend** , and **it wants to be with me**!”

 

  And suddenly from the gem embedded within her navel, a shining light reveals itself.

 

   It is a vision of a dream, a promise for a new tomorrow. What forms from the light flowing from her gem is the manifestation of the very idea of hopes, dreams, ideals into reality. The corporeal state takes the form of a straight bladed saber, pink with a red handle, with vines etched in the guard connected with a rose shaped pommel.

   

   Her eyes grow wide as saucers in disbelief. She feels wary... but excited. So very excited. "My... my powers..." 

 

  “That’s... Rose’s sword...” Pearl mutters, in disbelief. Even Garnet’s mouth hangs slightly open in surprise, a rare occasion in of itself.

 

  The projection of the blade manifests into reality, embedding itself within the mirror, and shattering the glass embedded in it.

 

  “Oh no!” Connie cries. Panicking and scrambling to grab it, she watches helplessly as the mirror explodes, releasing a wave of magical energy that knocks Garnet away, leaving only the cracked teardrop stone behind. The room starts glowing brightly from under her, and she notices the snowflake-like pattern that has formed on the floor underneath her. The source of this water being the pipage of the house, which groans and rumbles with pressure, causing the pipes to leak.

 

  “W-what’s happening!?” Amethyst cries out, stumbling backwards.

 

  Levitating itself into the air, the blue teardrop encases itself within a vibrant blue light, which births the corporeal form of what is undeniably a gem. She possesses a slim figure, cyan skin, and blue hair arranged almost in the same style as Pearl, though messier and with longer bangs. Wearing a flowing blue skirt alongside her blue halter top, her gem is embedded into her back.

 

   Her name is Lapis Lazuli.

  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sort of starring the AU found here, it's pretty old and abandoned though I took interest enough to turn it into a fanfic http://mechandra.tumblr.com/post/72754569018/a-little-project-ive-been-working-on-here-and


	2. Rose's Fountain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connie and the Crystal Gems go on a mission to heal Lapis' gemstone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Connie does not wear glasses, and wears varied summer outfits like in the show, though each with a star insignia visible.
> 
> In case you didn't see it: Connie is thirteen now. Previously, she stated she was twelve, this has been adjusted so she matches Steven's age in the beginning of the series.

  Pearl’s room is always a marvel to be in, being a lake carved atop a waterfall, topped off with a number of fountains. The state of matter the water possesses is moldable by the mind; if one wills it, the water will defy appearances, becoming as solid as concrete for one to stand on. If they wish for it to be liquid, then they will fall through, soaking themselves, as liquids typically work.  

 

  The background to her room is painted as a dark indigo and light purple sky, with a great number of stars dotting the skyscape, colored red, blue, and white. Connie’s not sure whether it’s a painting, some sort of hologram, or magic (actually now that she thinks about it, most definitely magic,) but she can’t deny Pearl’s room is absolutely radiant.

 

  But the primary purpose of Pearl’s room, other serving as a respite whenever Pearl needs a break from reality, is to host her research, her creations and experiments in gem technology somewhere tucked safely away from Connie.

 

  Lapis’ holding cell is a cylindrical tank filled to the brim with a pale, translucent liquid. Surrounded by three metal consoles, Connie notes that the tank strongly resembles the bacta tank Luna used in _Empire Strikes Back._

 

  She’s been watching Lapis for hours, her physical form just… existing, without reacting to the liquid. She doesn’t breathe, her body doesn’t wrinkle, it doesn’t even look like the water is soaking into her hair or clothing. Lapis’ body is just… there, while her true form, her gem, lies unconscious, monitored by Pearl (who initially protested Connie’s presence for safety concerns, before being vetoed by Garnet.)

 

  When the water gem finally comes to, it is sudden, with her eyes forcing themselves open, revealing they are as reflective as the mirror as she came from. The only fatigue she suffers upon awaking is from what results from her own confusion.

  

  “Connie… Where am I… this… all of this… everything feels wrong…” Submerged underwater, the water gem is almost completely inaudible.

 

  The half-gem’s eyes widen as her friend returns back to consciousness. “...Pearl! She’s up!” she calls, before returning her attention back to the water gem. “Lapis?” She taps at the glass. Lapis taps back.

 

  Their hands briefly touch through the thick layer of glass separating them.

 

  “Connie!” Pearl calls, returning to her station. The pale gem, with a single wave of her arm, summons two more consoles right beside Lapis’ tank, which Connie understands helps to control the aquatic cell.

 

  “You…” The water gem’s eyes squint as she realizes she is stuck in captivity. Again.

 

  Within her tank, she is completely inaudible, prompting Pearl to flip several switches on the console, resulting in an audible (and angry) Lapis. “You knew I was in there, and you didn’t do anything. Did you even wonder who I used to be?”

 

   Garnet wordlessly announces her presence as she enters Pearl’s room by… just being Garnet, as usual. Amethyst wordlessly follows from behind.

 

  “Can you hear us?” Pearl asks.

 

  “Yes.” Lapis spits back. “ **What** are you doing to me **now**?”

 

  “You’re being submerged within a tank, filled to the brim with a special mixture of acidic compounds mixed to induce a chemical reaction with your gem.” Pearl responds. “By doing so, this makes you unable to use your hydrokinetic abilities. This way, we’ll be able to communicate with you, without having to worry about your hydrokinesis.”

 

  Lapis’s face contorts into a rage, sliding into desperation, before she begins smashing her fist into the thick glass of the tank, to no avail.

 

  “It won’t cause any damage to your gem, if that’s what you’re thinking.” Pearl assures her. “I’ve even tested the compound on my gem, and I can assure you-”

 

  “Let… me… go.” She asks, each word enunciated with as powerful a punch she can throw at the glass.

 

  “You’re… you’re drugging her?” Connie asks.

 

  “Yes. Just enough so that she can’t use the abilities of her gem.” Pearl confirms.

 

  “Lapis has the ability to control water Connie.” Garnet follows. “ We just don’t want to risk the chance of her using the nearby beach to wipe us all out.”

 

  “She managed to damage almost all the water pipes in the house while she was nigh-incapacitated.” Pearl adds.

 

  “So you just lock me in another prison?” Lapis spits back. “Great. Wake me up in the next few thousand years, why don’t you?”

 

  “We’re not going to do that.” Garnet replies.  

 

  “If I had known, I would have freed you.” Pearl says.

 

  “But you didn’t, did you? Instead, you used me as a tool for thousands of years!” She spits back. _“Mirror!”_ She squawks, mimicking Pearl’s voice and mannerisms, _“Show me the The Nursery on Homeworld, Era One!”_

 

  This successfully riles Pearl up, while getting a chuckle out of Amethyst. “That’s actually pretty good.”

 

  Pearl just glares at Amethyst, before returning her attention to Lapis. “ _I_ wasn’t the one that put you in the mirror!”

 

  “Yeah well you sure used me like one! I wonder what new use you’ll find for me in this tank-”

 

  “Enough you two!” Garnet interrupts, before turning to Lapis. “We are not going to use you. We want to help you, but we need to make sure you won’t attempt to harm us the second you get back your abilities.”

 

  Lapis just shoots her a death glare, apparent under her reflective eyes.

 

  “Excuse me?” Pearl raises her voice. “You will cooperate with us, whether you like it or not.”

 

  “I am not taking orders from a _pearl_.” Lapis growls.

 

  Pearl’s voice grates considerably. “What did you just say-”

 

  “Pearl. Enough.” Garnet interrupts. “We’re not getting anywhere arguing with each other like this.”

 

  Connie raises her voice. “I want to talk to her.”

 

  Pearl stares at the half-gem, exasperated. “What?”

 

  “I know I can talk to her! She’s my mirror-bud!” Connie asserts, crossing her arms.

 

  “Um, excuse me?” Pearl squawks. You’re the reason this situation is happening in the first place!”

 

  “Pearl. Let me handle this.” Garnet interrupts.

 

  “Oh… alright.” Pearl relents, stepping behind the team leader.

 

  The half-gem turns to face Garnet, steeling herself for the oncoming lecture.

 

  “Pearl is right, in that none of this would have happened if you had trusted us more.”

 

  She tells herself that she regrets nothing. That it had to be done, and that the gems were out of line for not trusting her and-

 

  “But that can’t happen if we don’t trust you.”

 

  It takes a moment for Garnet’s words to sink in. “...Wait, what?’

 

  The tall gem takes off her visor, revealing all three of her eyes, before kneeling down to the half-gem's level.

 

  “I should have trusted you. _We_ should have trusted you. I was so focused on protecting you, that I thought that if I just stayed focused on the team, everything would just work out right on it’s own. That’s how it’s always been for me. But in the end, I forgot one thing. That you would grow up, no matter what.”

 

  She’s not used to being vindicated like this. “So…” Her voice is a low quiver, and she can feel something hot form right where the corners of her eyes are. She grunts to keep from crying. “Does this mean I… I can go on missions?”

 

 “I promise, that once this whole issue with Lapis is over with, I’ll take you on the first mission that’s safe for you. You’re a Crystal Gem too, and you’re more than old enough to start getting ready to claim your own legacy. It’s _time_ we acted on that.”

 

  She invites the half-gem for an embrace afterwards, which she promptly accepts, Connie doing so with all her might, Garnet with all of her love.

 

  “I’m sorry.” Garnet whispers, causing the half-gem to smile, and Pearl to wipe a tear.

 

  “Yes… well… I see Garnet’s point…” Pearl’s voice is quivering. Connie’s grin grows wider and wider, and for a short, blissful moment, everything feels okay. “I’m... sorry too…”

 

  Garnet releases her embrace, though still reassuring the half-gem through keeping both hands resting on her shoulders. “My first assignment for you, is for you to talk to Lapis. Alone. Because it looks like you’re the only one she trusts.”

 

  “Garnet,” Pearl interrupts, hastily wiping another tear, “I understand that emotions are high, but do you really think this is the best idea-”

 

  “I trust you.” With that, Garnet kisses Connie’s cheek, eliciting a blush from the half-gem, who waves it off, embarrassed. “Come on Pearl.”

 

  “But-Garnet-” Pearl’s protests go unnoticed by Garnet as she leads her out of her own room, leaving the water gem and Connie alone.

 

  A pregnant pause hangs in the air over them, one which Lapis eventually decides to shatter. “You can’t trust them Connie.”

 

  The half-gem had expected this reaction, but she’s still not sure how to respond.

 

  “Your friends, they don't really care about you, or other gems. All they care about is the Earth." She says lowly. "But I never believed in this place.”

 

  Connie clears her throat. “Forgive me if I assume anything… but… how much have you really seen of Earth?”

 

  The question stumps Lapis. “...If… if you only knew what Homeworld was like, then you’d understand.”

 

  Homeworld. She’s heard Pearl mention it a few times before, and from what she understands, it’s where all gems come from. “You… want to get back home?” Connie asks softly.

 

  Another pause hangs in the air, as awkward and uncomfortable as the one coming before it.

 

  “Yes.” Lapis confirms.

 

  “Then we can help you! Just let the gems-”

 

  “No Connie!” She shouts from the tank frustratedly, “they wouldn’t understand!”

 

  Lapis’ outburst causes the half-gem to feel like she’s shrinking in size.

 

  “...Help me break out of here Connie. I...I can help you escape.” Lapis pleads.

 

  The answer is obvious but she’s reluctant to say it. “...I can’t.”

 

  “But… why?” There isn’t any anger in Lapis' voice, just frustration and and hidden questions she doesn’t want to ask directly.

 

  “Because… you already understand. I’d miss so many things on Earth, like… the weather, and the gems, and Beach City, and my favorite video games, and ice cream! I know the gems are sometimes stubborn and overprotective, or insensitive, but they’re also heroes who protect the lives of everyone on Earth who’ve been caring for me since I was born. Everything is like that, both good and bad! Frustrating, but amazing. Garnet’s always protecting the Earth, while Pearl’s always looking after me, even if she doesn’t make it apparent. And Amethyst is always fun whenever she’s around. I know they have problems, but it’s just like all the other things on Earth I like. I... I just have to take them as it is, and move on. Cookie Cats have trans fats, and the Spirit Morph Saga has Destiny’s End.”

 

  Lapis snorts. “I... got the impression you would bring that up.”

 

  The two of them simultaneously break out into light chuckling, easing up on the oppressive atmosphere.

 

  “There’s some of that stuff back on Homeworld too. But… I understand.” Lapis admits.

 

  She feels bad for disappointing Lapis. “I’m sorry.”

 

  Lapis smirks. “Don’t be.”

 

  “I still want to help you get back to Homeworld though. But you’ll have to trust the gems.”

 

  Lapis frowns at that. Her eyebrows furrow, and it takes her what feels like an agonizing amount of time to Connie for the gem to reach her decision.

 

   “...Fine.”

 

oOoOo

 

  “Absolutely not!” Pearl squawks.

 

  “Why not!?” Connie protests.

 

  “We can’t risk Homeworld knowing that we’re still alive!” Pearl rebuts.

 

  “What’s so bad about Homeworld?” Connie asks.

 

  “I... er… what have you been telling her?” Pearl redirects to Lapis.

 

  “That I want to get back home.” Lapis retorts coldly, looking the pearl in the eyes. “Is there anything wrong with that?”

 

   “She’s not ready to hear about this!” Pearl replies.

 

  “She’s gonna find out sooner or later.” Amethyst adds, earning a glare from Pearl. 

 

  “Either you tell her about Homeworld, or I will.” Lapis challenges.

 

  “Absolutely not.” Pearl retorts. “As the head of Connie’s education, I determine what she’s ready to learn, and what she isn’t ready-

 

  “Isn’t ready for what!?” Connie enters the argument, facing Pearl. “Either you tell me about Homeworld, or I’ll find out. Eventually.”

 

  Pearl looks like she’s about to explode. “And how exactly will you find-”

 

  “Stop. Arguing.” Garnet intervenes, breaking up the two of them. “Pearl. We need to tell her.”

 

  “But why?”

 

  “Because she’ll find out eventually. It’s better if she learns now, here, from us, where we have control over the details.”

 

oOoOoOo

 

 **_Pearl_ ** _: You’ve heard of Homeworld from us enough to have a basic idea of what it is Connie?_

 

 **_Connie_ ** _: Yeah. It’s where you guys came from, right?_

 

 **_Pearl_ ** _: Well… yes… and no. It’s where I, Lapis and… Garnet… came from._

 

_What you need to know about Homeworld we’re referring to a singular planet, which serves as the center, the capital of a vast inter-galactic empire, ruled and administered by gems, like us._

 

_Whenever we talk of Homeworld, we also refer to the entirety of the empire. It's much like the etymology between Empire City, and Empire State. Humans typically use the colloquialism "Empire" to refer to both the state and the city interchangeably, without having to clarify which one is which._

 

_**Connie:** Understood.  
_

 

_**Pearl** : Excellent. We just don't want you to get confused whenever we discuss Homeworld._

 

_What’s most important to remember about Homeworld is the caste system, which in turn is determined by what type of gem you are. I… am a pearl. We…_

 

 **_Garnet_ ** _: Pearl. We don’t have to share this now-_

 

 **_Pearl_ ** _: It’s... fine Garnet. Pearls are made-to-order servants. Our gems are manufactured only with the owner’s wishes in mind. We’re treated like trophies that our masters can discard and replace for a newer, shinier pearl at any point in time they like._

 

 **_Connie_ ** _: Slaves._

 

 **_Pearl_ ** _: Not necessarily… but, you’re not incorrect with that comparison._

 

 **_Connie_ ** _: There’s… hundreds of other Pearls?_

 

 **_Pearl_ ** _: Yes. I’ll cover how gems are manufactured later._

 

_Six thousand years ago Pink Diamond and those serving her arrived on Earth, to form a new colony. It was around this time, your mother was made on Earth, in one of the kindergartens._

 

 **_Connie_ ** _: Diamonds? Kindergartens?_

 

 **_Garnet_ ** _: The Diamonds are a specific cut of gem. They serve as the matriarchs, the rulers of gem society, the highest of all the castes. Pink Diamond was one of them._

 

 **_Amethyst_ ** _: A Kindergarten has these things called Injectors that suck all the resources and life energy from the ground to create other Gems. Like me. We were all born in one-_

 

 **_Pearl_ ** _: “That’s enough Amethyst. But she is correct about the effects of the injectors. Had the colony, and the Kindergartens been completed, then all life on Earth would have died out. Your mother, Rose Quartz on the other hand, believed that all life was precious, and worth protecting. I chose to serve her as her faithful Pearl, and we formed the Crystal Gems, a small army of rebels dedicated to stopping the colonization of Earth. But more importantly, we were dedicated to opposing everything Homeworld stood for._

 

_Garnet would join us soon after the rebellion was in full force. After an entire millennia of war, we had won. The homeworld gems had been forced to evacuate out of the star system, but our victory came with a great price. Many in the ranks of the Crystal Gems had been lost during the rebellion. In the end though, the Diamonds were too spiteful to accept retreat. In the end, the Diamonds unleashed an ultimate weapon. A flash of white light enveloped the Earth, and every last gem that remained on the planet became corrupted, turning them into the Gem monsters we work to bubble today. Rose Quartz used her shield to protect herself, I, and Garnet from the blast, though in the end, that was all she could protect._

 

_We would later find Amethyst, alone and by herself in one of the abandoned Kindergartens. She… was left behind during the Homeworld evacuation, so we took her in, and accepted her as a Crystal Gem._

 

  Pearl clears her throat, but remains silent. The mood in the room is thick and choking, everyone’s expression having changed to match it so.

 

  Connie clears her throat as well. “That’s… really what Homeworld is like?” Connie asks, to Lapis, to which she nods.

 

  “It wasn’t always like that. The Diamonds and their bureaucrats were getting lazy before the whole rebellion happened. Once the war flared up, they started having crackdowns on every star system-”

 

  “Like that would have meant anything to a pearl.” Pearl states, to which Lapis shuts her mouth temporarily.

 

  “Listen… All I want to do, is get back home to my friends, to my fellow Lazuli.” Lapis states back. “All I want is to go back home, where everything makes sense. Is that so wrong? There’s a lot of things about Homeworld that’s not great, but at the end of the cycle, it’s where everything I understand _is_. It’s home.” She and Connie share a smile.

 

  “Yes-um…” Pearl falters, letting Garnet take the stage. “Garnet?”

 

  “How do we know we can trust you?” Garnet asks.

 

  “I have _nothing_ to gain from telling the Diamonds you’re still alive. And if I did, Connie would be a target, and I don’t want that. I won’t tell anyone that you guys still exist. I’ll just tell them some organic life form broke my mirror, releasing me by myself, allowing me to make my way back to Homeworld. There?”

 

  “I don’t believe it.” Pearl replies.

 

  “I believe it.” Garnet rebuts, staggering Pearl.

 

  “Eh?”

 

  Even Lapis looks stunned. “What?”

 

  Garnet smirks at the water gem. “I trust you. I know you won’t say anything.”

 

  “Uh… yeah.” Lapis says. “Right.”

 

  “Garnet, are you sure this is the best course of action?” Pearl asks.

 

  “Yes.”

 

  “Oh...okay.” Pearl sulks, while Amethyst shoots her an ‘owned’ look.

 

  “...My gem’s cracked though.” Lapis adds. “I won’t be able to get back without a ship.”

 

  “Cracked?” Connie asks.

 

  “...Lapis’ gem is damaged. It would be fine if it was just her body, but it’s the gem that’s cracked. Truthfully, she’s lucky she can still normally function.” Pearl says.

 

  “So, what do you do to fix it?” Connie inquires.

 

  “Connie, your mother had healing tears that flowed from her gem.” Garnet says. “She felt real love for those around her. She felt real sorrow when they were hurt. You have the Rose Quartz gem now. I know that power is in you, too.”

 

  “You mean… I have healing powers?” Connie asks, stars in her eyes.

 

  “You need to cry Connie, not do the whole Pearl thing.” Amethyst comments.

 

  Connie sticks a tongue at her.

 

  “Besides, I’ve rarely seen her cry.” Amethyst continues. “I don’t think she’s the type of person who can just cry on demand you know.”

 

  Connie takes this as a challenge. “Y-yes I can! Just… give me a moment…” She tries to rub her eyes and try to get herself into the right emotional mood, but finds her mind unwilling to cooperate. The purple gem proves correct, having observed Connie’s tendency to hold in emotions as opposed to openly crying. “Ugh. Amethyst’s right.”

 

  “Then we have no choice.” Garnet says. “We need to take Lapis to Rose's Healing Spring.”

 

  “So you’re just going to release me?” Lapis asks, befuddled. “What happened to the whole being scared of my powers?”

 

  Garnet smirks. “You like Connie too much. I know you won’t attack us the second we let you out.”

 

  Lapis just shoots Garnet another irritated look.

 

  Garnet then turns to look at Connie. “It’s time for your first mission.”

 

oOoOo

 

  Pearl spends most of the warp informing Connie on what Rose’s Garden is supposed to look like. Lapis stays by Connie’s side the entire journey, keeping a safe distance between her and the Crystal Gems.

 

  “And in the center of the garden-- Rose's Fountain, overflowing with your mother's healing, lacrimal essence.” Pearl finishes her description of the fountain to a very interested Connie, who Lapis stands behind, using the half-gem's body as a barrier.

 

  “I don’t see it.” Garnet comments bluntly, once the warp is finished.

 

  Pearl’s head turns in confusion, and she ends up screaming in horror at the vision greeting her; the garden has decayed into a deadened, blackened mess of thorns, a miserable sight that clashes with the soft view of the sky hanging above, colored the gentlest of pink shades.

 

  “Well…” Amethyst munches on a bag of tortilla chips she brought along with her, “This sucks.”

 

  Pearl grumbles, her hair having frazzled itself, while kneeling down to inspect the overgrown mess of bramble. “Just look at them. They're a mess without her guidance….”

 

  “Follow me.” Garnet orders, the group scrambling to move right behind her in lockstep.

 

  The pink sky disappears, replaced with an endless jungle of bramble as they delve deeper and deeper into the remains of the garden. The decayed foliage grows more and more thick and inescapable, encapsulating the group in darkness, broken only by occasional cracks of sunlight from above.

 

  “So…” Connie breaks the silence. “I take it that this isn’t what mom’s fountain is supposed to look like.”

 

  “Oh, of course not.” Pearl responds. “There are supposed to be roses everywhere, in full blossom all year long. Now, without your mother, it’s transformed into this dried up mess and…” She sighs wearily. “This place used to be perfect, just like your mother.”

 

  Lapis makes a motion that looks like she’s rolling her reflective eyes.

 

  “Excuse me?” Pearl asks, having noticed.

 

  “It’s nothing.” Lapis spits back icily.

 

  “Now hold on, if you have something to say, then say it-” Suddenly, Garnet, having found a rock, punches it into the bramble, clearing everything in it’s path, causing the two thin gems to jolt.

 

  “That felt good.” Garnet states. “This way.”

 

  Pearl follows suit. “We could've probably gotten in without hurdling a giant rock into Rose's most precious sanctuary…” She grumbles to herself.

 

  “Anything that gets us there faster is fine by me.” Amethyst adds, inhaling what remains of her chips (along with the entire bag.)

 

  At the end of the newly created pathway lies a clearing. There, is Rose’s fountain; a statue of Rose Quartz herself standing atop a star shaped pedestal.

 

  Connie finds herself staring in awe. She’s never seen her own mother in person before, only pictures and occasionally holoprojections from Pearl. But she’s always had some kind of sense of what she’s supposed to look like in person, like some strange sense of deja vu, a cognitive dissonance which only triggers whenever she finds another image of mother she’s never seen before.

 

  “...Mom…”

 

  She barely notices the comforting hand resting on her shoulder from Pearl.

 

  “This isn’t right.” Garnet says, interrupting Connie’s train of thought.

 

  “What’s wrong?” Connie asks.

 

  “Something must be stopping the fountain.” Pearl wonders, pointing to a star-shaped hallway. “We’ll have to check the internal chambers down below.”

 

  “Stay in formation. There’s no telling what could happen.” Garnet orders, as she gestures for the group to follow.

 

  The star hallway leads down a flight of stairs that grows darker and darker by the step. The concrete used to create the hallway is cracked and damaged without end. Alongside the darkness, what they find in these depths are the occasional insect, the air being infested with a thick dust which makes Connie’s eyes water.

 

  Pearl sighs. “Just look at it all. How could this all have decayed so quickly? The hallways used to have proper lighting…”

 

  “I feel like…” Amethyst mutters, “Something’s watching us.”

 

 Then. Bramble. Endless bramble pours in through from the cracks embedded within the concrete as if to confirm the purple gem’s suspicions. Enveloping the walls, it threatens to swarm the group, before forming a thick barrier that separates Connie and Lapis from the others.

 

  “Connie!” Pearl calls out.

 

  Lapis grabs and pulls at the bramble, to no avail. “W-what do we do!?”

 

  “I know… I’ll just… cut it down!” Connie says. Confused as to what she should do, she attempts an epic sword pose, akin to the ones used on the covers of fantasy stories. But her mother's sword fails to form, causing her to panic. “Why isn’t this working!”

 

  “Connie!” Lapis pushes her against the wall, safely out of the trajectory of an oncoming branch.

 

  “We have to fix the water flow by unplugging the clogged chamber!” Garnet orders from the other side. “That should heal these plants!”

 

  Pearl protests. “But Connie-”

 

  “It’s no use! This stupid plant stuff keeps regrowing!” Amethyst protests.

 

  Pearl groans in frustrated despair. “Connie... just stay safe! We’ll fix this as soon as we can!”

 

  “Protect Lapis! We trust you!” Garnet orders.

 

  “O-on it!” Connie replies.

 

   The bramble moves quickly, but she judges that the two of them on foot can probably outrun it. Probably. If they don’t, they’ll be completely enclosed, and neither of them want to see that scenario play through.

 

  “Let’s go!” Connie orders, to which Lapis follows.

 

  They sprint. Sprint, run, dash as fast as their legs can possibly take them. She feels the enemy closing in from behind her, growing larger and larger, so she decides that her legs will just have to take it a little bit faster.

 

  She notices their tempo changes. She turns around to see what has changed it.

 

  “Lapis!”

 

  The water gem has stumbled, her human construct struggling to pick herself up. “Connie! Just run! I… I can’t do anything! There aren’t any large sources of water nearby… I… it’s pointless… it’s pointless…”

 

  The bramble throws itself at Lapis, preparing to lasso her like cattle ready for the slaughter.

 

  Connie will have none of that. She scrambles towards Lapis, dragging her away from what will be her spiky captor. “Get up, and get a grip on yourself!” Summoning whatever strength she has, she grabs hold of the water gem’s body, lifting her up and making a mad dash for the exit, further and further up. Out into the clearing, where there’s space to maneuver, and hopefully no bramble waiting to kill the two of them.

 

  Her legs feel like they’re about to give in, so she internally screams at them to give more. Fill them up with gas. Remove the brakes. Shift the gear into full throttle. Anything that she can do to make herself faster, she’ll do it.

 

  But it’s not enough. Eventually, a lone bramble reaches her, tripping her up and sending the two of them crawling on the stairs.

 

  “Connie!”

 

  She doesn’t hesitate in picking herself up, and is greeted with the sight of Lapis, about to be impaled.

 

 **“Oh no you don’t!”** Reflex. Muscle memory. Instinct, not knowledge guides her as she summons Rose’s sword from her gemstone and swings, cleaving through and disabling the oncoming branch.

 

  “C-connie, h-how-” Lapis stutters.

 

  Reinforcements approach. “Not now!” She takes hold of the water gem’s with one hand, Rose’s sword held in the other. “Come on!”

 

  Soon the stairs end, and the two have found their way back to the fountain clearing, guarded by a line of bushes.

 

  “Stay safe.” Connie orders, to which a visibly distressed Lapis nods. She releases the water gem’s hand.

 

  “Come on!” Connie taunts, charging the enemy. She targets the one on the furthest left, deftly rolling out of the bush’s tackle (which she hopes is all the bush can do.) Recovering from her somersault, she turns around, executing a horizontal slash that trims the plant down to size, rendering it inactive.

 

  “Connie, behind you!”

 

  The half-gem places her faith in her instinct, and turns around to perform a diagonal slash which trims the would-be ambushers down.

 

  Pure instinct can only keep her up for so long however, and the bushes she was forced to ignore for a split second catch her off-guard, tackling her and sending her tumbling to the ground.

 

  Connie groans. The bushes are far stronger than she expected, though she’s made it out with only a few scrapes and bruises. Outnumbered and outmatched, she spots Lapis, who’s been lassoed up by some bramble, before being tossed mercilessly towards the fountain.

 

  “Lapis!” She opts to run towards her, mindlessly and mercilessly swinging her sword at anything that dares approach. Picking the gem up and carrying her, she throws Lapis into the center of the fountain, where the bushes (hopefully) won’t reach, and prepares to make a final stand against the platoon of vegetation.

 

  “I’m sorry Lapis…” She curses to herself. “I...I couldn’t protect you, I couldn’t do anything right… Now I’m going to lose you, and it’s all my fault.”

 

  Suddenly, Rose’s fountain erupts, releasing the sparkling, rose-colored tears that fills the basin, completely submerging the Lapis Lazuli underwater.

  

  The vegetative enemies freeze in place. The hostile aura that had so naturally emanated from their very existence fades away as they are rebirthed into a storm of rose blossoms.

 

  As soon as she realizes she and Lapis are safe, she cheers. Cheers because she and Lapis are safe, and that for once in her life, she was actually able to do something. “Lapis?” She excitedly calls for her, turning around to check on her physical form.

 

  Deciding to test the water out, she rubs it on the wounds she has acquired. It stings at first, but when the sensation wears off, her skin feels fresh, renewed, and rebirthed.

 

 Suddenly, the water bursts from under, releasing a pink mist into the air, that smells of love, and remind Connie of summers long past. Lapis rises, wearing a steely, confident, and gracious look. Her eyes have returned to a normal color, that of a royal blue. Her physical form feels stronger, in terms of presence.

 

  Most importantly, her gemstone is healed.

 

  “Connie! That… that was amazing!” The water gem moves to hug her. Grinning profusely, the half-gem allows Rose’s sword to fall to the ground, and she wades into the fountain to meet the water gem halfway.

 

  Enveloped in Lapis’ embrace, she found herself looking up into the statue’s eyes, and for the briefest of moments, she can see her mother reaching out to her.

 

  _“Thanks mom.”_

 

  “Thank you Connie.”

 

  She grins widely. “It’s what friends do, right?”

 

  The water gem releases her embrace. “Right.”

 

 _“Connie! Where are you!”_ The two of them turn to face the source of the familiar voice, and see the Crystal Gems, rushing towards them from the star hallway.

 

  “Are you alright? Are you hurt? What happened?” Pearl fusses, causing the half-gem to rush over and embrace the three of them in a group hug as well.

 

  “She saved me.” Lapis vouches for her.

 

  “You… you were able to project her sword again?” Pearl asks, staring at the sword laying on the ground.

 

  “Mm-hmm.”

 

  “I knew you could do it.” Garnet says, causing pride to swell up in her throat.

 

  Even Amethyst, impressed, grins right at her, nuzzling the half-gem’s thick hair.

 

  “Then I guess…” Lapis quietly interrupts, “This means it’s time for me to go.”

 

  Connie releases herself from the group hug to catch Lapis. “You’re going already?” She asks, to which Lapis nods. The half-gem had known this would be the end result of their labors, but that didn’t make the ending feel any less melancholy.

  

  The two hug one more time. “I’ll miss you.” Connie says. 

 

  Lapis smiles. “I’ll miss you too.”

 

  “Will I ever see you again?” She asks.

 

  The look on the water gem’s face is expressionless. “...Maybe.” With that, she moves to leave, before Pearl motions for her to stay.

 

  “Lapis...wait.”

 

  “What?” The water gem’s voice begins to grate harshly.

 

  A murmur from the pale gem. “...I’m sorry.”

 

  Garnet steps forward to speak up. “We’re sorry.”

 

  An awkward pause hangs in the air. “...I still hate you guys.”

 

  “I know.” Pearl responds, sullenly.

 

  The faintest of smiles forms on Lapis’ lips, before fading back to that familiar scowl. “...Goodbye.”

 

  And with that, two bodies of water extend from her gem. Taking form, they sculpt themselves into a pair of wings. With them, she takes flight to the stars.

 

  The gems watch until she eventually disappears, out of sight, but not out of mind.

 

  “Do… do you think that really was the right thing to do?” Pearl asks, worry evident in her voice.

 

  Garnet smiles. “I don’t know. It’s up to Connie to decide.”

 

  She smiles. “Yes. Yes, it was.”

 

  “Then it’s time for _us_ to go home.” Garnet orders.

 

  “Bout time. I’m dying to get something to eat.” Amethyst comments.

 

  “Amethyst...” Pearl sighs, silently happy that everything might just be able to return back to normal after this.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> while Lapis was able to beat the crystal gems in mirror gem, it was because she had time to recover from being in captivity. plus, she was right by the ocean, near her natural element. here, lapis barely had a second to recover before she was dogpiled by Pearl and Amethyst. I hope that clears up any confusion you might have from her being in captivity.
> 
> lapis will be back. most of my largest divergences from SU canon involve her. 
> 
> next chapter will start connie's training. i think. probably. 
> 
> also, in case if you were wondering, yes, I am shipping trash. pearlmethyst, pearlapis, amedot, lapidot, jaspis, jaspidot :p  
> if ships start to sail between gems, i will tag them accordingly. and I can guarantee this, no love triangles.


	3. Summer Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connie begins her training with the gems, whilst enjoying what feels like an endless summer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter will be encompassing multiple episodes, with either minor/moderate/drastic changes to their respective events.

 

  Once the Lapis crisis was over and dealt with, the Crystal Gems had decided to ensure that there wouldn’t be another ‘Lapis’ incident, leading to a thorough search of each and every one of their inventories.

 

   Which meant they would eventually have to search the incredulous mess that was Amethyst’s room, to everyone’s dismay. Save for Connie, who was just happy to be in Amethyst's room, spending time with Amethyst and Pearl.

 

  “Why do we have to look through my room again? Wasn’t it you who had the mirror in the first place?” Amethyst shoots her question to Pearl, while digging through one of her many piles of junk.   

 

  “I already have.” Pearl replies, who’s searching a different pile right alongside Connie. “It just didn’t take as long for me to search through my inventory, versus searching through this mess you call a room, because everything under _my_ care _I_ make sure to properly account for.”

 

  Amethyst groans, and attempts to casually lean against another pile of junk. "I _have_ a system P. And it doesn't need _your_ accounting."

 

   Said pile of junk topples over, crashing into another pile of junk, both collapsing loudly and violently into one big pile of junk.

 

  Connie winces, plugging her ears against the sound.

 

  “Eh, whoops.” Amethyst comments, eliciting a groan from Pearl.

 

  The pile then ruptures violently, with smoke visibly emanating from the remains of the pile.

 

  “What was that.” Connie blankly asks.

 

  “Eh… may have had a few explosives in there?” Amethyst innocently answers.

 

  “ **And you didn’t bother to tell us before** **_Connie_ ** **came in here to help!?** ” Pearl neurotically screams.

 

  The purple gem shrugs off her scolding, but does look guilty for endangering Connie. “It’s probably better if you go join Garnet in the bubble room.” She suggests to the half-gem, who nods.

 

  The pale gem nods instantly. “Yes, I agree.” Pearl says, before leading Connie away, suddenly paranoid for any trip mines or active explosives. The alabaster gem sighs. "This room used to be so beautiful before Rose handed it to you…” She mutters to herself quietly, before realizing what she just said.

 

  “Excuse me?” The purple gem’s voice grates harshly.

 

  “...That… was a mistake-”

 

  “No, you think handing _ME_ this room was a mistake! Well guess what? If you don’t like it, you can leave too!”

 

  “Amethyst, please calm down.” Pearl says flatly. “We need to do this to ensure there won’t be another Lapis incident.”

 

  “ _Amethyst, please calm down.”_ Amethyst mimics. “That’s always what you care about. Always with the missions and Rose.”

 

  “Are you even listening to me?” Pearl’s voice starts to grate considerably as well.

 

  The purple gem smirks, now that her pale counterpart is down to her level. “How about you listen to me for once?”

 

  “I am listening. You, are not.” Pearl spits back, crossing her arms.

 

  Amethyst just throws her hands up in frustration. “Oh, here we go again! Well if you are listening, then how about this? Get. The _fuck_. Out of my room.”

  

  “Language!” Pearl scolds, hands dashing to cover Connie’s ears.

 

  Connie’s mouth just hangs open. “You guys...  never use those types of words...”

 

  “You heard me.” Amethyst seethes, looking like she's about to cry.

 

  “...Fine.” Pearl replies coldly. “Connie, let’s go.”

 

  “But-”

 

  “Amethyst can search her own room by herself. Garnet will be joining her once we’re done with the bubble room.” Pearl says coldly, taking Connie by the hand.

 

  As the door back to Beach House opens, Connie can just catch the sound of Amethyst sighing. _“...Man, I really managed to fuck things up this time…”_

oOoOo

 

  It takes a little bit longer than usual, but eventually Amethyst and Pearl just forget what they were been feuding about in the first place (as they typically do,) and return back to their usual routine of casual bickering.

 

  Or so it seemed.

 

  They fight just slightly more often than usual. And moreso often right in front of Connie’s presence.

 

  Their bickering takes on a different nature. One that’s more desperate, confused, and tired. Random, disjointed, and frustrated. With what, none of them know.

 

  Amethyst provokes. Pearl is all too happy to retaliate.  

 

  Pearl steps on a cord (or ten.) Amethyst lashes out against her.

 

  “Care to explain what one of _my_ swords was doing in _your room_?”

 

  “Having a _sword_ party.”

 

  “Oh _please_ , you took it!”

 

  “I did _not_!”

 

  “It’s fine. It’s in the past, I forgive you. Also, I cleaned up your awful, awful mess. You’re welcome.”

 

  “You did _WHAT_?”

 

  Garnet doesn’t know what to feel. What to do. When she doesn’t intervene, it gets worse, sometimes devolving into literal screaming matches. Especially when they think Connie isn’t around.

 

  (When frustrated with each other, their ability to detect Connie’s presence declines considerably.)

 

   But when she does intervene, she knows she’s wrecking their self esteem by treating them like children. Which leads to them inevitably taking their frustrations out on each other again. A vicious cycle.

 

   _“Why can’t they just stop!”_

 

_“They’ll come to their senses eventually.”_

 

_“What if they don’t!”_

 

_“They’ll have to.”_

 

  The two of them are seconds from exploding, and Garnet can’t figure out what she needs to do about it.

 

_“Rose would have known what to do about it.”_

 

  But Rose is gone. Leaving Garnet in charge, and she doesn’t know what to do.

 

  For now, she’ll focus on Connie, who’s slowly starting to realize that the Gems aren’t perfect, and won’t be able to protect her all the time.

 

  So she’ll make sure Connie will be able to make up the difference when they inevitably fail.

 

oOoOo

 

  They decide that to start her training, they'll need to evaluate what Connie is physically capable of. They know Connie is superior to the average human, but how superior, they need to quantify.

 

  To begin, they decide to test her agility. The gems can easily sprint from Beach City to The Capitol in the span of thirty minutes. The average human… drives that distance.

 

  So they make her run laps on the beach right alongside Garnet, who’s all too happy to join (though she doesn’t show it, like always.) One mile becomes two. Two miles becomes three. The Gems find she can run about six miles total before she begins to show the first symptoms of exhaustion.

 

  Hand-eye coordination testing results in a lot of broken plates, typically involving Garnet shouting “catch,” before throwing dishware, at her.

 

  It’s entirely dependent on her state of mind, similar to that of a gem. When she’s prepared and anticipating it, she can easily catch up to five dinner plates without panicking. When she isn’t in the right state of mind, Pearl breaks out the broom and dustpan.

 

  Her speed is less impressive; the results indicate that when pushing herself, the half-gem is on par with the average Olympian sprinter.

 

  Cartwheels, one-handed handstands are performed with minimal effort. Within the field of gymnastics she is easily on par with a seasoned gymnast. Which naturally makes for a long way to go before she catches up to the Gems, but very much makes her superhuman, nonetheless.

 

  Her perception and awareness are also dependent on state of mind, much like the gems.

 

  Her ability to process and assess the environmental situation surpasses that of most humans, though she is still not on the same level as a gem  in this regard. Pearl was able to predict her advanced perceptiveness, remembering the _Where’s Wallace_ set of books they got for Connie when she was much younger were finished off in mere minutes.

 

  But her ability to perceive emotions is much harder to test, so they ignore it. (Also, the ability to perceive emotional states is one of the traits gems have little advantage in.)

 

  Her strength on the other hand is much, much easier to quantify.

 

  It is estimated that the average male can bench around 135 pounds. The half-gem can (with considerable effort) lift around 200.

 

  In short, the girl is a natural born Olympian at age 13, all thanks to the gem embedded within her navel.

  

oOoOo

 

  “Hey Connie. How’s the training going?” Sadie asks to Connie, who's made herself busy browsing the Big Donut’s selection of unhealthy confectioneries and desserts.

 

  It’s a slower than usual day at the Big Donut. Usually they get more business during the summer season from vacationers, but business lately has slowed to a drawl. Lars respectively, takes the slow business as an opportunity to just fiddle around on his phone (though to be honest, even if business were up, he would still be on his phone.)

 

  “Tiring.” Connie answers, hands in her jacket pockets. Lars concludes the kid’s just trying to act cool.

 

  “You certainly don’t seem like it.” Sadie replies. “The usual?” She asks, referring to Connie’s new favorite; a Chocolate Glazed Donut, complete with sprinkles and cream filling.

 

  “Yup.” The half-gem snickers. “Me and Garnet were just working on strength exercises earlier this morning.”

 

  “How much did you bench this time?” Lars asks, eyes remaining glued to his phone.

 

  “210.”

 

  His expression doesn’t change. “Freak.”

 

  “Lars!” Sadie scolds.

 

  “Hey, maybe Connie can use some of her super strength and start lifting the boxes in the backroom that have been giving us so much trouble.” Lars suggests.

 

  “You mean _me_ so much trouble.” Sadie counters blankly.

 

  Connie snickers again, leaving Sadie to wonder just what is it that has the plucky girl laughing.

 

   “Sure… I can give you… a hand!” Connie exclaims, whipping her right hand out of her jacket, showing off her newly formed cat finger.

 

  Sadie squeals, immediately petting the cat finger, which mews in delight. “Oh, Connie, that’s adorable! Are… you making it purr?”

 

  The half-gem observes her finger-pet, which has relaxes under Sadie’s affections. “It just kinda does what it wants.” She answers innocently.

 

  “Really?” Even Lars looks somewhat interested, holding out his finger, only to receive a hostile bite in return. “Ow!”

 

  “See what I mean?” Connie laughs. “Bad kitty finger!”

 

  “Oh, I’m sure it just wants to play.” Sadie comments, comforting a grumbling Lars.

 

  Connie gasps. “You’re right! And it doesn’t have any friends…”

 

  The teen boy opens his mouth to make a comment about Connie not having any friends as well, but realizes it’s too cruel, even by his standards.

 

  “You were gonna say something Lars?” Connie asks, blissfully unaware.

 

  “Uh… you know whenever you’re going to say something, so you open your mouth, but then you realize you just wasted all the air in your mouth because you’re not gonna say it? Yeah, that.” He chuckles to himself.

 

  “All the time.” Sadie smiles. “Dollar ‘o five Connie.”

 

  “On it.” The business transaction is made, and Connie celebrates by breathing in and conjuring up four more cat fingers, her right hand now becoming a cat-tastrophe.

 

  “That… can’t be natural.” Lars comments.

 

  “Oh keep quiet.” Sadie scolds. “I think that’s really cool Connie.”

 

  “Thanks! See you later!” Connie waves a cat-enhanced goodbye, before dashing out of the Big Donut with her sweets, laughing.

 

  “...Something tells me that’s not gonna end well…” Lars muses to himself.

  

oOoOoOo

 

  The day had begun like any other Tuesday, only changing course during with the afternoon lessons with Pearl, who had planned today’s learning module be on electricity and electromagnetic waves. But the pale gem’s plans grinded to a halt when Garnet interrupted the lecture, telling Pearl to get onto the beach, with Connie following right behind.

 

  The first thing that was immediately noticeable as she stepped outside was the sunset which had cast the skies of Beach City into a vibrant orange. The second thing she noticed, was the second sun growing larger and larger by the second, as if it were about to crash into the Earth.

 

  The pale gem’s eyes grow wide as saucers. “How exactly did it travel so quickly…” Pearl mutters to herself in disbelief.

 

  “What… is that?” Connie asks.

 

  “It’s a red eye.” Garnet explains. “It was sent here to Earth to collect data, and we can’t let it leave with evidence the Crystal Gems are still active.”

 

  “You got Rose’s cannon fixed up yet?” Amethyst asks.

 

  “That I have.” Pearl replies, dashing into the house and back in the span of about fifteen seconds, peach pink cannon in tow. The pale gem sets the artillery down, planting it firmly into the wet sand.

 

  Just from staring at the weapon, Connie can tell that it is made up of an inhuman material. Not inhuman as in cruel and unintelligible to human morality, but inhuman, as unintelligible to human manufacturing techniques.

 

  The pale gem brushes her arm against the underside of the cannon, a gesture which triggers the weapon. The cannon hums to life.

 

  Charging up with peach-pink energy, it’s nozzle blossoms, morphing into a rose shape as it glows from within. The artillery tips over, but rests at an angle where the trajectory of it’s projectile is poised to strike the Red Eye perfectly on point.

 

  “You added that P?” Amethyst asks, to which Pearl nods proudly.

 

  At full bloom, the rose fires, sending off a peach-pink beam of light that takes the form of what Connie knows is her mother’s silhouette.

 

  Upon impact, the Red Eye shatters into smoke and debris. The remains of the gem construct fall to the earth a generous distance away from Beach City, into the ocean below.

 

  “Whoa… that was… amazing…” Connie says, stars in her eyes.

 

  “I’m just happy nobody was hurt.” Pearl comments.

 

  “You’re not happy at all you got Rose’s weapon to work?” Amethyst teases.

 

  “Well… just a little.” The pale gem smirks.

 

  Almost instantly, as if to spite Pearl’s earlier statement, one of the pieces of debris crashes into the ocean, creating a wave that capsizes a nearby cruise ship onto the beach.

 

  “...Er… almost nobody?” Amethyst comforts Pearl, who just groans.

 

  “Gems. With me.” Garnet orders, motioning for everyone to assist with relief efforts.

 

oOoOo

 

  It was yet another mission the gems had undertaken which they stated was far too dangerous for Connie to attend, leaving the half-gem disappointed, and waiting at home. Only to be a witness to yet another argument between Amethyst and Pearl upon their return.

 

  “You're always putting us in danger with your little outbursts!” The pale gem scolds, prompting the purple gem to plant her fingers in her ears and stick out her tongue. “Ugh, you are just... so... CHILDISH!”

 

  “Yeah, yeah.” Amethyst brushes off her nagging, as usual, before holding up her fingers to count them down. “And don't forget, reckless, vulgar, loud mouth. And _that's_ just what makes me so awesome! RIGHT, GARNET?”

 

  Garnet, still as expressionless as always, adjusts her visor. “Amethyst, you are a Crystal Gem. You need to _act_ like it.” She states harshly.

 

  Connie’s attention zeroes in on Amethyst, who’s wearing an emotion on her face that’s a mixture of hurt and anger. “Fine.” Turning around, she promptly storms into her room in the Temple.

 

  For a second, Connie feels a twinge of sympathy for the purple gem, wishing she had stuck up for Amethyst, before realizing that the gems wouldn’t have listened to her, and that she probably just would have made the situation worse. So she settles for a normal ‘welcome back,’ for the two remaining gems.

 

*****

 

  Later that day, she would fall asleep whilst enjoying the video game _Breath of the Wind._ Only awakening from her nap upon startling from the familiar noise of the temple door opening. Groggy eyed and lethargic, she briefly catches the sight of Amethyst hurriedly leaving the Beach House, whilst wearing a dark cape.

 

  “Amethyst?” The half-gem quietly murmurs to herself, before deciding that she’ll follow out of curiosity. Making sure to turn off her television and game console (saving her progress, of course,) she makes sure not to knock down any texts from her vast collection of books whilst traversing down her loft.

 

  She has no idea where the purple gem might be going, but she follows her anyway, keeping a generous distance between herself and Amethyst.

 

  They travel the coastline, making their way to the outskirts of Beach City. As she tails her, she briefly worries that when Amethyst finds out about her tailing, she’ll be set off. She sets the thought in the back of her mind when the gem enters an abandoned warehouse, in the old industrial zone just outside of Beach City.

 

  The building is in a clearly dilapidated state; the roof is partially caved in, more than half the windows are broken, and one of the walls having completely collapsed.

 

  She opts to look inside from one of the windows, only to be greeted with what is undoubtedly the setting of a spectator sport.

 

  Foldable iron chairs are crudely organized into rows, occupied by a rowdy crowd. In the center of the room, lies what she, despite her lack of interest in sports overall, knows to be a wrestling arena.

 

A microphone screeches harshly, eliciting jeers from the agitated crowd in attendance. _“For those of you befuddled by the events of athleticism, you are about to see the Purple Puma, rrrah, is the single most hated wrestler in Beach City Underground's... HIS-TO-RYYY!”_

 

  Basking in the hatred of the audience, proudly standing atop the wrestling arena is Amethyst, having shape-shifted her form into that of a buff wrestling persona, complete with chest hair. The crowd, which does not appear to be receptive to her appearance, boos and heckles her without mercy. The purple gem basks in the hatred, egging the crowd on.

 

“Whaaat?” The half-gem utters in disbelief.

 

 _“Alright ladies and gentlemen, let's introduce his opponent, or should I say victim.”_ The announcer adds, laughing. _“The Loch Ness Bloggster!”_

 

Just from the first look, she knows he’s doomed.

 

  The Loch Ness Bloggster, which is just an average teenage male wearing a Loch Ness Monster hood, whimpers nervously. He’s dead on arrival. “I'm, uh, going to end your reign of terror!”

 

  The bell dings.

 

  He charges. And screams. And closes his eyes. Even from this distance, Connie’s pretty sure he’s crying.

 

  Amethyst, or the Purple Puma, just lets him run into her fist. Connie winces at the pathetic display, but can’t deny she feels an excitement forming from within her.

 

  Having exceeded no expectations from… anyone, really, The Loch Ness Bloggster just lays unconscious on the ground while Purple Puma stomps on his corpse, before picking his body up and throwing it at the jeering crowd.

 

_“Well, now, now that was quick. Yeah, yeah, I don't like it either but hey, what do you do?”_

 

Amethyst jumps out of the ring to greet her nonexistent fans, before participating in a victory lap, wearing an undeniably arrogant grin as she does so. Once her lap is done, she exits the building, prompting Connie to charge at her with a power hug.

 

  “Amethyst!”

 

  The purple gem jumps before she recognizes the voice, and accepts her affections. “Oh… it’s you. What are you doing here?”

 

  “You… wrestle?” Connie asks, stars in her eyes.

 

  The purple gem snickers. “Yyyeah.”

 

  Releasing her embrace, the half-gem jumps around excitedly, full of energy. “B-but how? When!? Why!?”

 

  Amethyst grins, motioning for the half-gem to listen up. “Come’ere.  Lemme explain something to you.” As the purple gem throws her arm around her, she realizes she’s never seen the Amethyst this excited and happy to be with her before. As if she’s… in her element. “In the ring, nobody can tell me what to do! And if they try, I HIT 'EM IN THE FACE WITH A CHAIR!”

 

  Connie sighs. “Oh I’ll never understand the intricacies of modern spectator sports…”

 

  “There’s no intricacies to it! Just raw emotion! And I love it! They love it!” She exclaims, before stopping to reconsider her words. “Well, they _hate_ it, but it's all part of the fun you know?” She pauses again. “E-everyone here, _gets_ that.” She stammers out, before groaning. “You don't know what it's like having Pearl and Garnet on your back all the time!”

 

  “Are you kidding me?” Connie counters. “Ever since Lapis, I thought we would start going on missions together, but they don’t want to! Pearl’s just pretending that the whole Lapis thing never happened, and with Garnet, it’s just training every single day! Nothing… real, ever happens!” She clears her throat for a Garnet impersonation. “Connie, when you’re ready, we’ll know.”

 

  The impression is enough to get a chuckle out of Amethyst.

 

  An idea blossoms in the half-gem’s mind. “Let me be a wrestler with you! It’ll be so cool!” She excitedly proclaims, her right foot starting to mindlessly stomp without end.

 

  The purple gem seems stunned by her proposition for a moment, before she smirks, indicating she has an idea of her own. “Well... I haven't won the tag team belt yet. But you can't tell Pearl and Garnet.”

 

  “Deal!”

  

*****

 

  Several nights later, would come their first match.

 

  The two had agreed that Connie should remain on the sidelines, despite her superior physical stature versus the average human. They really didn’t want to risk Connie getting hurt and Garnet and Pearl finding out, putting a premature end to their wrestling careers. Though Connie had initially been disappointed, she ended up still really wanting to wear the costume and persona she had come up with for the ring.

 

_“Two local heroes in the ring tonight, they build hospitals for the sick, and they build muscles that look slick! Give it up for.... Concrete Heat and Chunk Truck!; Facing off against the Purple Puma and our newest, most mathmaticious competitor! Avaricious Abacus!”_

 

  The half-gem feels a surge of adrenaline coursing through her veins as her name is announced. She is fabulously decked out in a lab coat, safety goggles, and wearing her hair in a bun, waving proudly to the jeering crowd, abacus in hand.

 

  “What is that thing?” Amethyst asks.

 

  “It’s an abacus! It’s basically an ancient calculator, the one that people used before the widespread adoption of the global numeric-”

 

  “Geez, you and Pearl are such nerds.” Amethyst playfully jeers, leading Connie to stick her tongue out at her.

 

  Their opponents, at the other edge of the ring, have opted with a construction worker theme, Chunk Truck donning a miner’s hat with a plaid vest, Concrete Heat opting to go in just his boxers.

 

  The bell dings. Amethyst, the Purple Puma charges in on all fours, tackling her target, Chunk Truck, and sending his body flying like a wet noodle.

 

_“Oh! Devastating move by Puma!”_

 

Reeling from her adrenaline rush, Amethyst, the Purple Puma fails to take notice as Concrete Heat sneaks up from behind her, traffic cone in hand.

 

  “Ame-er, Purple Puma! Look out!” Connie screams.

 

  The warning goes unheeded, leaving Concrete Heat free to plant the traffic cone on her head, taking away her ability to see.

 

  The crowd cheers wildly.

 

_“What a gross usage of safety equipment, and your tax dollars.”_

 

“That can’t be fair!” Connie loudly protests.

 

_"It may not seem fair, but hey, anything goes in wrestling.”_

 

   “It DOES?!” She asks in disbelief.

 

_“Oh YES it does!”_

 

  A wide, mischievous grin forms. “What an anarchic state of affairs...”

 

  She clears her throat, redirecting her attention to Chunk Truck, who’s somehow managed to pick himself back up. “Hey Chunk Truck! I’ve seen the work you do on our bridges! And let me say, not the finest work out there. Your engineering calculations were _way_ off. _Definitely_ not meeting government standards. Were you _trying_ to build safety hazards out there?”

 

  That gets his attention. Soon enough, he’s storming over to the half-gem, fuming, and cracking his knuckles. “What?”

 

  She just grins, and whacks him in the head with her abacus, sending him staggering back towards the center of the ring.

 

  Amethyst, the Purple Puma by this point is able to throw the traffic cone off her head, leaving her seething at her opponents. “You…”

 

  Launching her body into the air, the purple gem crushes the poor human on her descent downwards. Connie winces, but even though she’s pretty sure she heard a bone (or several) crack, she cheers triumphantly.

 

_“Oh! I mean just wow!”_

 

  The bell dings, signalling the end of the match. The crowd boos en masse, with Connie basking in their hatred, right alongside Amethyst.

 

  The purple gem lifts her up into the air effortlessly. “Way to go… Alphabet?” Amethyst guesses confusedly.

 

  “Abacus.”

 

  “Whatever.”

 

*****

 

  Most of the other matches in the tag team cup go like this; with Amethyst doing all the potentially dangerous work, Connie providing support in academic themed fashion, and the two of them basking in their infamy afterwards, unrivaled and undefeated in the ring.

 

  Her favorite match so far, was when she broke her abacus, and used the beads to trip up Penguin Paladin, sending her flying towards Amethyst’s, Purple Puma’s fist.

 

  One match, towards the tail end of the tag team belt, she’s approached by a recognizable face whilst celebrating with Puma. Lars. “Abacus! Hey Abacus! Would you sign this? It'd be so rad!” He asks excitedly, holding out a soda and a pen for her to autograph said soda with.

 

  The half-gem grins maliciously. “Sorry, but I only sign for people who have potential, and according to my calculations…” She muses, fiddling with her abacus, “You don’t HAVE any!” She laughs, knocking his soda onto the ground.

 

_“Woah... Never thought I'd live to see the day when a contender turned down their own fan.”_

 

  Connie, Avaricious Abacus, staggers when she sees the look on Lars’ face. Heartbroken. Rejected. About to cry. “Wait… I thought we were just having fun!” She tries to explain herself, but Lars just dejectedly walks off, ignoring her pleas for him to listen.

 

_“Avaricious Abacus, you are the cruelest creature on the entire planet.”_

 

  As the crowd continues to boo, jeering at her mistreatment of Lars, she feels guilt for the first time whilst she’s in the arena.

 

*****

 

  “Amethyst... Am I getting too carried away?” Connie asks the purple gem sullenly. Tonight was the finale for the tag team belt, and they were getting ready, putting on their respective costumes.

 

  Amethyst chuckles to herself. “Oh Connie, don’t let their words get to you. They’re… just expressing how they feel about you and your actions, that’s all.”

 

  The look on Connie’s face immediately sinks, and Amethyst knows she screwed her words up.

 

  “Listen Connie, you can't let _anyone_ make you feel like garbage.”

  

  “Is that how _you_ feel?” Connie asks.

 

  Amethyst waits a moment to answer, the look on her face growing dark. “I only feel how I wanna feel.”

 

oOoOo

 

  After the securing of the tag team belt, (after a… chaotic finale, marked by the intervention of Garnet and Pearl,) Connie, Avaricious Abacus, found that her wrestling career was slowing down, since Amethyst no longer had any goals and trophies to head towards.

 

  She eventually found herself becoming restless. The training, though tiring, just isn’t enough for her. Though she loves exercising with Garnet (save for the whole being tired portion of it,) it doesn’t feel… powerful enough. She wants to feel like she can defend others, defend her ideals, and the individuals she cares about. She wants to be able to fight, like the rest of the Crystal Gems. She wants to feel like a hero.

 

  And a hero’s weapon undeniably, is a sword.

 

  Which is why it frustrates her to no end that she can’t summon her mother’s blade anymore. The gems surmise that her powers are tied to her emotional state, a conclusion that infuriates her to no end.

 

  What also frustrates her, is Pearl’s constant refusal to train her in swordfighting.

 

  “It… looks like you've got freezer burn, Pearl! Looks like you lose all your fish sticks.” Connie excitedly says, reading off the card she drew from Citchen Calamity, having begged the gems for a game night.

 

  “What? I needed those for my bachelor meal combo. Now I can't ring the dinner bell.” Pearl sighs, bringing up the official game rules. “These rules make no sense.” She grumbles out.

 

  Amethyst takes a card. “The sponge in your sink is covered in mold.” She reads out. “But I can still eat it right?”

 

  “No, no, that means that you lose two turns.” Connie explains.

 

  “That's baloney!” Amethyst protests.

 

  “What?” Pearl squawks. “You have a baloney card?”

 

  The only one not present for their very first game night is Garnet, who’s regretfully off on a solo mission, having said it was ‘urgent.’

  

  “You see, this is why you we need to play by my ‘house rules’.” Amethyst says.

 

  “Your way of playing just makes things more complicated!” Pearl protests.

 

  “And fun!” Amethyst interjects.

 

  “You always rig them against us…” Connie states, eliciting a grumble from Amethyst.

 

  “Fine…”

 

  Their group sighs, too exhausted by the rules to really want to continue on with the game anymore.

 

  Feeling the mood, the half-gem decides to pop the question bubbling in her throat. “...Pearl. I want you to teach me how to use a sword properly.”

 

  “You want me to do _what?_ ” Pearl asks, caught off guard by the question. Distracted, she accidentally breaks the blender used for rolling the dice. “Oops…”

 

  Amethyst laughs. “Nice P.”

 

  “Swordfighting! You’re practically a master at it! I want to learn from you, so I can be able to defend myself if something happens!”

 

  “Absolutely not. We’ve discussed this before, and we are more than capable of protecting you ourselves.” The pale gem promptly replies.

 

  “Please, I wanna learn!” The half-gem pleads. “I mean, I don't know what'll happen in the future, but if something dangerous comes along, I don't wanna be a burden, I wanna help!”

 

 “Yo P, just chill out. She’ll have to learn how to protect herself someday.”

 

  “Amethyst, just stay out of this.” Pearl replies, earning a glare from the purple gem.

 

   She can feel her heart sinking. “Pearl. I’m ready! Garnet even said so!”

 

  “Well, since I’m the one in charge of sword fighting, I say no!”

 

  “So when will you say yes!?” Connie asks, her voice raised to a yell.

 

  “When you’ve have proper control over the powers of your gem.” Pearl replies.

 

  “So that’ll never happen!” Connie counters, flustered.

 

  “End of discussion!” Pearl replies.

 

  “It’s not over just because _you_ decide it’s over!”

 

  “As I stated before, your ability to use the powers granted to you by Rose’s gem are connected to your emotional state! I will train you once you’ve properly mastered control over your powers, something that is not going to happen if you’re going to be as emotionally _immature_ as you are right now!”

 

  The half-gem feels as though she’s hyperventilating. “You’re NOT MY MOM PEARL!!”

 

   She suddenlyfeels sick, horrified by the words that came out her mouth.

 

  The pale gem staggers. Her eyes water for a split second, before she recomposes herself. Her face is dark and sullen, and she picks herself off the couch, done with playing board games. “You’re right. I’m not.” She mutters coldly to herself, before taking her leave.

 

   The half-gem’s remorse is instant and unrelenting. “Pearl, wait-”

 

   The temple door to her room opens. “Very well. If swordfighting is what you so desire, then we can start tomorrow.” She coldly replies. Without another word, the pale gem disappears.

 

   Connie groans. “Why did I have to say that…”

 

  “Man, you just had to go all out, huh?” Amethyst asks.

 

*****

  

_“Parry! Parry! Thrust! Parry! Parry! Thrust!”_

 

  What comes to Connie’s mind when she sees the Cloud Arena, is some sort of hybrid fusion between Greek and ancient Egyptian architecture. She briefly wonders how influential the gem colonies were on human development in the era pre-antiquity.

 

  “Do you see what I'm doing with my feet, Connie? Notice where I keep my center of gravity.” Pearl says, effortlessly (and emotionlessly) keeping up the demonstration with her Holo-Pearl. Normally, Connie would be squealing with excitement, but what was said yesterday hangs over her head like a cloud of guilt.

 

  “Yes ma'am.” She sullenly replies, taking notes.

 

  Their training goes off without a hitch, even though she’s unable to figure out how to summon her mother’s sword from her gem once more. Despite this, she’s able to master the basic stances and forms with ease after hours of study with Pearl. But she notices her mentor lacks her usual excitement when faced with the results of her progress.

 

  The tension between the two of them is subtle, but very much there. Like a bird tapping at a window that disappears whenever one looks upon it. She wants to get rid of it, but she doesn’t know how.

 

  Amethyst tells her that it will just take time, that this kind of thing is normal between the two of them, and that she shouldn’t be surprised that the two of them are starting to argue, now that she’s growing up.

 

  That scares her.

 

  Garnet isn’t much help either. She just tells her to talk to Pearl, even though the real problem is that she just doesn’t know what to say. What she should say, what’s the right thing to say.

 

  All she knows is that every time she tries to talk to Pearl, she finds her legs locking up and knots of guilt clogging up her heart, and before she knows it, she’s turning around, just walking away.

 

  Every time she does so, she imagines Amethyst shapeshifting into a chicken if she was nearby. _Bawk bawk bawk._

 

*****

 

  She eventually notices she’s only being taught self-defense. Nothing on how or when to approach, how to take advantage of openings, not even how to thrust.

 

  Parry, parry, parry, parry, parry. How and when to block, how to determine in a split-second where the opponent’s blade will land, defensive immobile stances, defensive mobile stances, the works.

 

  She wonders if Pearl even listens. If Pearl listened to her confession during the Lapis incident, when she cried on how the gems wouldn’t let her do anything, she wonders if she took any of that to heart. She wonders if she remembers.

 

  One day, she snaps. Pearl’s prepared a little test to evaluate her progress so far, whether she can stand against multiple enemies at once.

 

  Three holo-pearls stand ready at one corner of the arena, Connie stands at the opposite end.

 

  That’s when she snaps.

 

  She charges. Closes the meter-wide gap between her and the holo-pearls so she can prove to Pearl that she’s sorry somehow, and that she doesn’t need to be treated like a child anymore.

 

  “Connie!” She hears Pearl panic. She doesn’t listen.

 

  Once she’s in striking range of the holo-pearls, they recognize her form, and move to attack. She decides that she’ll try flanking them from the left, since charging down the middle is clearly out of the question.

 

  The leftmost holo-pearl performs a downward slash, which the half-gem is able to successfully predict, blocking the blow with her blade. Steel and holo-steel clash, and her arms feel like jelly as she struggles to hold onto the grip of her weapon.

 

  The holo-pearl staggers from being blocked, having put all its force into the blow. The half-gem recognizes the opportunity open, and executes a horizontal slash across its holo-abdomen, poofing the holo-pearl.

 

  ...And as she realizes that the center holo-pearl is about to thrust its blade right down into her skull, she realizes she won’t be able to raise her blade to parry in time. She’s completely and utterly defenseless.

 

  A fatal mistake.

 

  Oh. Oh.

 

  “ENOUGH!” Pearl screams frustratedly, before poofing both Holo-Pearls with a single slash. Before Connie knows what’s going on, Pearl disables her, gripping her blade bare handed.

 

  The half-gem finds her cutlass being taken away, so she protests furiously at her disarmament.  “Y-you’re being ridiculous! How am I supposed to join the fight, if this is all you’re teaching me!”

 

  The pale gem’s eyes water. “You shouldn't be anywhere near the fight! You’re too important!”

 

  “No I’m not!”

 

  The pale gem’s voice breaks. “Yes you are!”

 

  “NO!”

 

_“WHY WON’T YOU JUST LET ME DO THIS FOR YOU, ROSE!?”_

 

  They pause. Letting the words they just screamed at each other sink in, with only their ragged breaths keeping them company.

 

  “I… I mean… Connie. Why… won’t you let me do this…” Pearl falters, tears in her eyes, before dropping her blade. “That’s… enough for today.”

 

  The half-gem wonders if she should pursue, but before she can even respond, the pale gem walks off the edge, into the landscape below to be alone.

 

  She’s exhausted. Physically, and emotionally. She keeps thinking about how she nearly died, how Pearl screamed at her as if she was Rose again and if anything’s really changed.

 

  For the first time in a long, long while, she’s scared of Pearl.

 

*****

 

_You remember that night. When she picked you up so long ago, and with a voice as sweet as honey, asked you, “Where is Rose?”_

 

_She stares at you but not at you. At your body, but not at you._

_  
_ _“Rose… please…”_

 

_You give her an answer. She doesn’t like it. You tell her that you’re sorry. Sorry that your mom isn’t here, sorry that she’s gone, sorry that she died for you, sorry that you exist, sorry that you’re still alive._

 

_“Where is Rose?” She asks, tears in her eyes. “Where is Rose?” She just keeps staring at you but not at you right through you until she shakes you until she starts screaming and crying and you don’t know what to say so you cry and Amethyst starts screaming and everyone starts screaming-_

 

The half-gem wakes from her slumber violently, only to find that she’s being suffocated, so she thrashes around to throw off the blankets making it hard for her to breathe. Her heart is in her throat, and her mind is going at a million miles an hour. Her pulse beats violently, hammering her eardrums. Her throat is dry, she can taste fear in her throat.

 

  She extends her arm outwards, trying her best to confirm that this is all real. That isn’t just another dream, that this is real life.

 

  Eventually time slows down, back to a manageable speed, only for her startle again upon noticing Pearl’s figure, sitting right outside her bed from nowhere. Just… watching. Staring at her. With the same look she had in her eyes years ago.

 

  “Pearl?” She whispers, silently pleading that this isn’t a dream.

 

  The pale gem’s eyes grow wide as saucers, and she startles from her trance. “Yes-oh, Connie!”

 

  “What are you doing here?” She asks, trying to mask whatever emotions are bubbling in her throat right now.

 

  Pearl stammers. “Ah… I… er… I… sometimes come up here to watch you sleep.” She mumbles softly. “And by sometimes, I mean often.”

 

   The two of them find themselves staring at each other in the darkness for what seems like an eternity. Until an undecipherable emotion comes over the half-gem, and she reaches over to hug Pearl tightly.

 

  The pale gem returns the affection.

 

_“I’m so sorry.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit more emotional than how I expected the ending to come out. At least, I hope that's how it came out. 
> 
> I wanted to explore the Crystal Gems a bit more in this chapter, and originally the Pearl/Connie conflict was supposed to wrap up nicely, but I've decided to extend it quite a bit. Don't worry. I promise you, it will end nicely, though not without a little pain on both ends.
> 
> Coming up next: Connie's Lion. Or Bubble Buddies. The latter option will definitely take more time to plan out and write.


	4. Making Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connie makes friends with a magical lion and a boy, but can't quite tell why they like her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> remember when i said next chapter would be connie's lion or bubble buddies i decided to do something different enjoy

  “I don’t like sand. It’s coarse and rough and irritating― and it gets everywhere.” Connie quips, before bursting into cackles.

 

  Despite the nature of her quote, what she said does reflect what she feels about her environment; a vast, endless desert that was utterly and completely lifeless, being devoid of any plant and animal life. The landscape consists of an endless field of dunes; the sand being the softest, smallest form of granularity. Which only serves to make the sand get even more… everywhere. The sky is stained with a bleak, endless dust, the sun that shines is merciless and unrelenting.

 

  Oh. And the sweat. It’s endless. She just can’t stop with sweating. Needless to say, she just feels dirty and disgusting and just _ugh._

 

  She almost wishes she hadn’t gone on the mission at all. Almost.

 

  “We’re here.” Garnet states,after they’ve made it atop another dune.

 

  The half-gem uses her hands to shield her eyes, protecting them from the sand carried by an oncoming gust of wind.  Unsuccessfully. The oncoming storm of silt sends her coughing and hacking, forcing her to rub her eyes, blinking furiously to clear them up.

 

  An unnervingly pleasant sensation settles upon her skin- she turns to the source of magical energy, and identifies it to be Pearl. The pale gem, with a wave of her arm, removes all the sand having settled onto her person.

 

  “Whoa. Psammokinesis?” The half-gem asks, stars in her eyes, to which Pearl nods, smiling.

 

  “Only moderate amounts of sand. It’s very limited, compared to the capabilities of other sand-centered gems.”

 

  The half-gem grants her another _“whoa,”_ before returning her gaze to their destination.

 

  What greets her vision, is an endless ruin scattered across the dunes. In the far distance, is the main fortress, a pyramid constructed in a style which she isn’t sure is Mesoamerican or Mesopotamian. Perhaps both. (Actually, now that she thinks about it, probably both.) Columns of sandstone stand defiantly against the desertscape, alone and abandoned, before collapsing back into the form of sand, being reabsorbed back into the desertscape.

  
  ...Wait, what?

 

  “What’s happening?” Connie asks, confused by the shifting architecture.

 

  “The Desert Glass.” Garnet answers. “A gem monster, which has the power to create entire structures out of sand. But it’s power has turned aimless.”

 

  “It's building columns with no roofs, stairs that go nowhere! This is out of control!” Pearl squawks.

 

  “Then I guess we better…” she recognizes Amethyst’s voice, before the purple gem vaults over her, landing into the sand below, and kicking up even _more_ sand. “... Roll on over there. Heheh.”

 

  “That was a bit unnecessary.” Pearl snidely comments.

 

  Amethyst mimics Pearl’s tone. “Nuh-nuh nuh nuh nuh, nuh nuh nuh nuh.”

 

  The alabaster gem falls for the taunt. “Excuse me?”

 

  A solemn roar echoes across the desertscape, a howl which shakes the half-gem to her very core. But what Connie feels is not an emotion of fear, but of curiosity… and nostalgia?  Nevertheless, her natural instincts, clashing with her internal emotions, tell her to panic. “What was that!?” She asks.

 

  “Let’s go!” The purple gem agitatedly demands, picking her form up.

 

  “We’ll be quick.” Pearl adds, following right behind Amethyst.

 

  “W-wait! Shouldn’t I do something too!?”

 

  “What we’re facing here,” Garnet answers, “isn’t just a normal monster, it’s an entire environment, the landscape itself. You _are_ growing stronger. Trust us. But we haven’t trained you for this kind of fight yet.”

 

  The half-gem nods in understanding, Garnet’s answer making sense, and feeling truly genuine.

 

  “But... what if I die of thirst out there!?” The half-gem asks.

 

  “As Pearl said, we’ll be quick.” The gem smirks. “And you did come prepared, didn’t you?”

 

  The half-gem whips out her canteen from her shoulder bag. “Always be prepared.”

 

  Smiling, Garnet rubs the half-gem’s sweat-coated hair, before tracing a finger on the half-gem’s forehead out of curiosity. It slides against her drenched temple with ease.

 

  “That’s gross.” The gem comments, before taking off.

 

  Connie just groans in revulsion at her perspiration.

 

  Sighing, the half-gem takes out her canteen to have herself a drink of water; only to spit it out immediately.

 

  “There’s sand in here too!?”

 

  Deciding to retreat to the nearest pillar for shade, she discovers that her shelter provides absolutely no assistance against the heat.

 

  “I was wrong Garnet… I was not prepared for this…” She murmurs weakly to herself.

 

  As she continues to swelter in her conditions, the familiar roar echoes across the desertscape once more, only… softer.

 

  “What was that?” She jolts, whispering to herself in a panic.

 

  Heartbeat rapidly accelerating, she scans her surroundings, noticing instantly a dark silhouette, with two glowing eyes that pierce through her skin, her gem, her soul.

 

  _“Nope!”_ is her answer to this, as she finds herself sprinting to the other side of the sandstone column to hide.

 

  “How convenient…” She whispers to herself.

 

   As if confirming her ability to jinx herself, the column collapses into sand, called back into the earth below. The true form of the silhouette is revealed, being a male adult lion, shaded a palette of pink. She doesn’t have time to ask herself about the lion’s strange pigmentation.

 

  “Jinxed it.” She whimpers to herself in a panic, attempting to back up. She ends up tripping and falling on her back, so she elects to crawl on all fours. Only to be blocked off by a wall of sandstone, which just so conveniently happened to form there just now.

 

  “Really jinxed it…”

 

  Out of options, she decides that she’ll go down fighting. Picking herself up, she charges the lion, hoping to be able to project her mother’s sword in time.

 

  Only to end up slapping the lion.

 

  Well then. This wasn’t how she thought she would go…

 

  Against all expectations, the feline simply just collapses onto the sand below, eyes settling shut. “What.” She mutters, in disbelief to herself.

 

  Did… did she really just win against a lion!?

 

  Giddy with the possibility she really may have just bested a lion, her emotion wins over her logic, so she starts jumping around what she believes to be her victory, speculating on the praise the gems will shower her with when they discover she managed to beat a lion―!

 

  The lion awakens, raising an eyebrow at her, startling the half-gem. “Aah! Take this!” She retaliates, attempting to slap the lion again.

 

  But to her surprise, the lion doesn’t move. Not even reacting, he simply just observes her. In suicidal curiosity, the half-gem decides she’ll throw her common sense to the wind, and touches the pink animal more gently.

  
  The lion, much to her surprise, silently enjoys the affection.

 

  “You… just wanted attention?” She asks, nuzzling the heart-shaped nose. The logical emotion of fear is thrown to the wind, leaving only instinct for her to act on. Naturally, it calls on her to make friends, telling her to pet the pinkened animal.  And nuzzle him. Especially nuzzle him.

 

  “Your mane, it's so soft…” She comments, burying her face into the silky fur. “You came from around here? That’s strange… it doesn’t look there’s much of an ecosystem in this environment to create an energy cycle for you to take charge of.” She surmises, deciding to climb atop the animal’s back as it he was a horse. “Which must means you’re migrating? Do lions have migration patterns though? And your pink fur... This can’t be natural…” She concludes, before Lion stirs, causing Connie to fall off.

 

  “So that must mean… you’re a magical lion!” She concludes, undeterred by her tumbling. “Or human environmental pollution has become far more severe and comical as of lately…”

 

   The lion puts lazily his paw over her shoulder, in what Connie believes to be the first instance of human-animal cuddling. “...Do you think the gems will let me keep you?” She asks, stars in her eyes.

 

Then, signalling the victory of the gems, the sand fortress in the distance erupts into a violent explosion, tearing down the ruins and whipping up yet _another_ sandstorm. Connie hears herself groaning because she knows what that means.

 

  She forces her eyes shut, but instead of a normal sandstorm, the detonation has opted to simply bury her under a mound of sand. Fortunately, it’s very much manageable, as she bursts out of the mound angrily, hacking and coughing as she does.

 

  “I don’t like sand…” She groans to herself. Fortunately, the lion remains right by her side, providing his comforting presence, and eliciting a smile from the half-gem.

 

  In the distance, she can make out the voices of the gems, discussing their victory… or Pearl and Amethyst arguing. One of the two.

 

_“Amethyst, bubble it away.”_

 

_“No, quit being jealous, Pearl. My kill, my keep.”_

 

  Both in this case. Leaning towards the latter.

 

  “I’m not jealous.” Pearl scolds, referring to Amethyst’s possession, a round, light green gemstone embedded within a pillow. “Just be careful, if you drop it on the sand, it’ll rebuild everything!”

 

  Connie panics. “Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl are coming. Um… quick! If it looks like I’ve defeated you, then it’ll look like I can tame you!” She reasons, scrambling to project her sword, only to make herself feel stupid upon attempting another epic pose, and instead tripping on her shoelaces.

 

  “Connie!” Pearl screams, as all three gems pull out their weapons of choice. “What is that! What are you doing!?”

 

  The half-gem throws herself back on her feet. “Pearl! Wait! He-he’s totally tame!” She scrambles to explain.

 

  “That’s impossible!” Pearl replies.

 

  “No it isn’t! If he wasn’t, then wouldn’t he have attacked me by now!?” Connie answers, making the alabaster gem briefly regret her highly successful learning module on inductive logic.

 

  “I... suppose so.” The pale gem replies, putting her weapon away alongside everyone else. She returns her attention back to the purple gem. “Just… get away from that thing in case it goes berserk for whatever reason. We have to get the Desert Glass out of the desert.”

 

  The purple gem keeps the object to herself, brushing off the pale gem’s scrutiny. “I got it.” She spits at her.

 

  Garnet motions for the team to move. “Let’s go Connie.”

 

 “A-alright, just gimme a sec.” The half-gem nods, before turning to the lion. “Well, Lion, I’ve gotta get going.” She starts, having opted to name the lion ‘Lion,’ for time constraints. “I wish I could have taken you with me, but at this rate it doesn’t look like that’ll happen…” She says sadly, voice tinged with disappointment. “It was fun…”

 

  As a final goodbye, the half-gem opts to embrace the feline in a warm hug, to which Lion seems receptive to. “’l’ll miss you.”

 

oOoOo

 

_The aborted terraforming process on Broadleaf has finally been completed. After seeding the atmosphere with billions of nanites, the alien bio-engineering machinery has significantly altered conditions on the planet’s surface. The ecosystem and climate have both been stabilized, and a new alien iota adapted to this climate has been introduced._

 

_As luck would have it, the planet is now a veritable paradise for Humans! The new climate appears more suited to our kind than that of Unity itself._

 

_ >Marvelous. _

_- >Broadleaf: Change planet class to _ **_Gaia World._ **

**_Ancient Terraforming_ ** _modifier added, giving the following effects:_

 _Happiness:_ **_+20%_ **

 

_Hotkey: Enter_

 

  “Yes!” Connie excitedly squeals, attention firmly attached to the computer screen. The mood of Beach House had become decidedly relaxed, with the Crystal Gems deciding to celebratetheir victory by taking it easy for the rest of the day. Amethyst made herself busy, napping in her own newly constructed pillow fort, whilst Pearl and Garnet had retired to their respective rooms inside the temple.

 

  The half-gem had elected to relax at her desktop, now firmly entranced in a game session of _Interstellar_ (but not before taking a very _COLD_ shower first thing upon arriving back home.)

 

She adored the space-themed grand strategy game, despite Pearl’s protests of inaccuracies with the portrayal of the development of interstellar societies. The half-gem’s empire was off to a great start, her initial colonies well defended, and her relations with her neighbors secured with a defensive pact-

 

_Knock-knock-knock-knock-knock-knock-knock-_

 

  The half-gem rolls her head at the sound, wincing as she feels her joints crackle. Her first instincts tell her she was just imagining it. It’s very, very, very rare that anyone knocks at the door. It _has_ been a few hours since the start of her game session, and she wonders if she’s been too long since―

 

   _Knock-knock-knock-knock-knock-knock-knock._ The same sound again. Only this time, even more frantic, more harsh, more impatient.

 

  Still cautious, she second-guesses herself again. “What was that?” She asks, without a captive audience.

 

  Looking around, the half-gem turns in her seat, towards Amethyst and the pillow fort. “Hey Amethyst?”

 

  The purple gem just snores.

 

  “Is someone knocking at the door?”

 

  “All I hear is your mouth…” Amethyst lazily mumbles.

 

   _Knock-knock-knock-knock-knock-knock-knock-knock-knock-knock-knock-knock._

 

  The frantic rapping at the door continues, confirming the half-gem’s suspicions. Amethyst makes no indication that she’ll be the one to go and get it.

 

  “I thought gems didn’t need sleep…” Connie grumbles to herself as she reluctantly drags herself away from her game to answer the door.

 

  “We don’t. Feels good though…” She answers, before dozing off again.

 

  The half-gem sighs, and opens the door, only to freeze at the unexpected figure greeting her.

 

  A thick, stocky build with curly dark brown hair. Eyes colored black, a plain red t-shirt over blue jeans and pink sandals. His height just being a tad taller than her, she notices his face is very visibly contorted with panic as he barges inside without an invite.

 

 “Shut the door! Shut the door!” He pants, to which the half-gem complies.

 

  Well… she wasn’t expecting this.

 

  Left staring at the stranger, she racks her brain for appropriate introductions. “What’s… going on?” That’s good enough, right?

 

  “Sorry…” He pants, gasping for air.. “I… I’m Steven. P-pink… lion… outside.”

 

  She briefly glazes over his words, still attempting to plan out what she should say. Until the two familiar words hit her.

 

  “Pink lion?”

 

  “Yeah…?”

 

  The half-gem’s legs dash outside faster than Steven can comprehend, leaving him dazed, and attempting to comprehend what just happened.

 

 Greeting Connie’s field of sight, is Lion, prowling around on the beach, inciting in the girl the giddiness the gems know her for whenever she becomes excited. “Lion! You came all the way here to see me?” She exclaims, before rushing down the patio to give him a hug. “You… you came back for me.” She feels something tugging at the corners of her eyes. “No… I can’t be all sad now, this is amazing! We’re together again, and we can do… friend stuff!”

 

  “You… have a pet lion!?”

 

  The half-gem looks up at the source of the voice; the boy, Steven, who she briefly forgot about in her excitement.

 

  “Um… sort of?” Connie stammers out, unsure of what to say. “We sorta met on the other side of the world… not so long ago… in a really hot desert…” Her voice falters and falters as she comes to realize how ridiculous it all sounds.

 

  “And… you’re not scared?” Steven asks, tepidly making his way down the patio.

 

  “No… this is all just… par for the course?” Connie answers, clearing her throat. “Um… C-Connie. Connie Quartz. Nice to meet you?” She says, dazed, reaching out for a handshake that receives only ocean breeze.

 

   The two just stare at each other in silence, leaving her to wonder just how much she’s creeping him out. Probably a lot.

 

  “That’s… so… _cool_!”

 

   She staggers at his ready acceptance of her explanation. “What?”

 

  “You have a pet lion! I’ve always wanted a pet lion or a tiger or some other animal like that, but dad says they’re untameable and that someone would call animal control on us! You have to tell me how you tamed him!” He begs with glee, hoping to receive training in lion taming from the best (and very likely only) lion tamer in all of Delmarva, and quite possibly all of the Tidewater region.

 

  “Well... he’s not really my pet.” Connie admits, cautiously wading through the conversation. “When I met him, he was just really friendly, and for some reason he decided to follow me from the other side of the world all the way here.”

 

  Lion tries to push past her, forcing Connie to stop him. “Whoa Lion! You can’t go up there, Amethyst is sleeping and I don’t have a good enough argument as to why we should keep you for the gems yet!”

 

  Lion just shakes his head in apathy.

 

  “The gems?” Steven asks.

 

  “Er... yeah. The Crystal Gems.” She admits, wondering just how much she’s going to come off as a total freak. “They’re… aliens… who came from outer space… and we protect the Earth… from… monsters.” She silently laughs at how utterly insane her words are becoming. She hadn’t been expecting she would be having this conversation with someone a few hours earlier.

 

  Despite the incredulity of her words, Steven just accepts everything at face value, to Connie’s surprise. “You’re… a hero?” He asks, to which Connie, still staggered by his ability to accept everything at face value, just nods tepidly.

 

  “You… must be the coolest girl in existence.” He confesses, stars in his eyes.

 

  The half-gem’s cheeks grow considerably warmer for whatever reason.

 

  “So… why are you guys called the Crystal Gems?”

 

  “Oh, it’s what they… we are.” She attempts to explain, showing off the gemstone embedded in her navel. “We’re gems. Or more specifically, they’re gems. Our gemstones serve as the source of our powers, to put it simply.”

 

  Steven’s eyes widened at the sight of her Quartz gemstone. “Oh, that’s- so pretty.”

 

  Her cheeks burning up, Connie decides to continue explaining, despite the fact that it will only get more ridiculous from here. She’s decided she’ll  ride this train wreck of an explanation all the way. “Uh, well… they’re sorta space aliens from another planet and my mom fell in love with a human so when I was born I became a half-gem, like half-elves and half-witches from _The Spirit Morph Saga_?”

 

  “What’s that?” He asks, earning a gasp from her.

 

  “It's my favorite series! It's about this girl named Lisa and she's a witch! - I mean, she doesn't _know_ she's a witch at first, and she has a familiar, which is sorta like this spirit companion that everyone in the world has. And hers is a talking falcon named Archimicarus and even if you’re not too interested in the main plot, it’s  worth it just to see their relationship with each other grow!” She squees. “Anyways, she goes on this quest to find her father after he's kidnapped by the mysterious one-eyed man.”

 

  Steven becomes enthralled by her description. “Whoa, mystery!”

 

  “Anyways, I can totally get you started with my books” She starts, turning back towards home, only to be greeted with the sight of Lion, scratching at the door.

 

  “Lion!” The half-gem rushes up the patio to drag Lion away, with Steven following right behind her. “I said you can’t go in there!”

 

   Lion acquiesces to her gesturing for him to follow down to the beach below, though his attention is still firmly secured on Beach House.

 

  Connie’s train of thought having crashed, she feels only embarrassment at her rant earlier. “Er… sorry for nerding out on you, I just… the Spirit Morph Saga is one of my favorite series, and-”

 

  “Hey, don’t sweat it.” He smiles, to her immediate relief. “It’s normal for people to have things they enjoy. Like, I hate it whenever the hero looks like they don’t have a life outside of being a hero.”

 

  “Right!?” She nods in agreement.

 

  “Oh! Speaking of which, I haven’t told you much about myself at all!” Steven realizes. “I’m sorry!”

 

  Connie just gestures _‘no problem’_ to him. She feels… incredibly relaxed, just talking to him, a feeling that she rarely gets around others.

 

  “I’m from Ocean Town. We just moved there, and I decided to come here for today because I came here on vacation with my dad a couple months ago. It was… crazy.” Steven states, deciding not to elaborate on it. “Also, Beach City is really nearby from my place. My dad’s a famous musician, so we’re constantly moving places. And when we aren’t moving, we’re always on tour. It’s an exciting life, but it’s sorta sad whenever I have to say goodbye to my friends.” He sighs, with a distant look in his eyes.

 

  Connie grows quiet. “Oh, that’s- I’m sorry.”

 

  Steven’s brightens, in an attempt to revive the mood. “It’s okay. It just means I’m always seeing new places and such. “It’s why I’m here!”

 

  “That’s a way to look at it.” Connie smiles, the words just… flowing from her mouth like putty. “I feel weird though. I’ve lived here all my life but most of the town is foreign to me since I never really talk to others that much.”

 

  “Well that makes sense. You’re a hero and all, doing hero stuff right?”

 

  Steven’s induction causes her to falter. “R-right.”

 

  “If that’s the case,” he elaborates, “then would you like to tour the town with me?” Steven invites.

 

  “Oh-um, sure!” She agrees.

 

  “We can even bring Lion along too, since he’s new to Beach City as well!” Steven elaborates, experimentally petting his snout, who receives the affection in kind. “It’ll be like a group tour!”

 

oOoOo

 

  Their party of three had decided to explore the waterfront, electing to get themselves dinner whilst the sun was still out.

 

  “We went here awhile back, me and my dad! Fish Stew Pizza. Cats love fish, everybody loves pizza, so you're gonna _love_ this!”

 

  She had seen the bistro a couple of times whilst on her laps around Beach City, though she had never elected to go in. She never really expected much from the establishment, just from looking upon the restaurant's logo, which was a pizza with shark fins attached to it.

 

  “Is pizza with fish stew really that good?” She decides to ask, wary.

 

  “Of course! As my dad always says, don’t be afraid to try new things. Or something like that. And this place, is absolutely jumping.” He confidently states.

 

  “There are only two people in there.” Connie laughs.

  “And that’s all we’ll need to have fun.” He replies, before the two of them burst into laughter. “Come on, let’s go in.”

 

  “Lion, wait here.” Connie orders, not wishing to cause another magic-related panic in Beach City.

 

  Steven opts for a loud entrance. “Hey guys!” Unfortunately, he gets no reaction from the crowd of two, which makes Connie just sulk in mild embarrassment. “I'm doin' okay, you know? Just gettin' some pizza.” He waves the cold shoulders off.

 

  “Welcome back, Mr. Universe.” The black woman manning the register merrily greets. “Who’s your friend?” She asks, embarrassing Connie.

 

  “Greetings, Kiki. She’s from around. A local hero, if you will.” He replies nonchalantly, causing the half-gem to want to shrink. “We’re ordering for three. Me, herself, and her pet lion!”

 

  “You’re not ‘lion,’ are you?” Kiki asks, causing the two of them to audibly groan.

 

  “That’s funny.” Steven replies. “But I’m not. Right Connie?”

 

  “Uh…”

 

  Suddenly, one of the diners slams his fist onto the table. Tall, stocky, with long blond hair that reminds Connie of French fries, he bursts from out of his seat to announce his thoughts. “I believe it! Lots of weird stuff happens in Beach City. Let me introduce myself,” he continues, brushing his shirt of pizza crumbs, ‘Ronaldo. Ronaldo Fryman, resident researcher of the para-normal. You'd know if you read my blog Keep Beach City Weird.”

 

  “Just go outside and see for yourself.” Steven continues confidently to Kiki, and the residents of Fish Stew Pizza excitedly comply.

 

  “Steven, are you sure this is a good idea-”

 

  “This is amazing!” Ronaldo declares. “It’s invisible!”

 

  “Wha?” The two of them chant in unison, rushing outside, greeted by the sight of three people, expecting to see a pink lion.

 

  “Can he turn invisible?” He asks, turning to Connie.

 

  “No…”

 

  “Looks like the two of you were, ‘lion.’” Kiki replies, before frowning. “Sorry for using the same pun twice.”

 

oOoOo

 

  “Ugh, I can’t believe he did that! Now they’re gonna hate me.” Connie sulks, stomach full with (surprisingly good) fish pizza.

 

  Steven waves it off, hoping to ease the mood. “Hey, don’t worry about it. Kiki seemed to like you at least. What’cha think of the pizza?”

 

  His attempt to redirect the conversation goes unheeded. “Don’t worry about it? First impressions are everything Steven! Now they’re going to think I’m a liar…”

 

  “Hey, don’t sweat it.” Steven tries softly. “People mess up all the time. Sooner or later, they’ll forget about you, and the whole thing’ll just become an embarrassing memory between the two of us. Trust me, I’ve put my foot in my mouth way more times than you can possibly imagine.”

 

  The two of them fall into lighthearted chuckles once more, their moods lightening as a result.

 

  They had elected to head back towards Beach House, since Steven was supposed to be picked up by his father soon and he wanted to see Connie off. The sky had turned yet again into a vibrant orange, the sunset starting to fall as day turned into night. The air was cool, the sand unintrusive, making the atmosphere perfect for self-reflection.

 

  “Anyways, I was wondering if I could ask some questions about your gem?” Steven starts. “And if I can meet the Crystal Gems later on?”

 

  “Yes, of course.” She answers, flattered that a stranger like him would actually be curious about her gemstone, and her. “And I’ll make sure to ask. They’ll probably say yes. Probably.”

 

  “So…” He continues nervously. “Your gem. You said it’s like the source of your powers? What powers do you have?”

 

  “That’s how me and the gems see it. As for my powers, they haven’t come in yet. They’re supposed to come in as I grow older. I’ve summoned my mother’s sword a couple times, but it only happens whenever I’m having a serious adrenaline rush. My physical strength and reflexes are better than the average person’s, but it’s definitely not superhero level.” To demonstrate, she performs a one-handed handstand effortlessly.

 

  “Oh… shouldn’t have done that.” She nearly hurls, stomach still being stuffed to the full. Feeling incredibly nauseous from her demonstration, she collapses onto the sand below, where Steven joins her.

 

  “You have super strength!?” He excitedly exclaims.

 

  Steadying her breathing with deep breaths, she wipes her heated forehead. “Sort of. I’m physically superior to the average human my age, but I’m nothing compared to the gems. And I still have all the limitations of human bodies for now, according to Pearl.”

 

  “So you guys are like superheroes…”

 

  “Well… they are.” She continues, sitting up as her nausea subsides. “I’m still in training, and while it’s hard work, it’s nothing compared to the missions the gems go on. They let me go whenever they think it’s safe, but even then they usually only let me watch, and not do anything useful. I thought that going on missions would change everything, but I still feel the same as I have before.”

 

  Steven raises an eyebrow. “What do you mean, about feeling the same as before?”

 

  “I thought… I thought that… you know, that things would be more exciting?” Connie murmurs lowly, her hands floating around aimlessly in an attempt to explain. She’s not sure if she wants to continue talking about this, but she does so either way. “That I’d... start feeling like a hero for once.”

 

  “Well…” Steven smiles as sweetly as he can, “you definitely seem like a hero to me.”

 

  “But heroes are… confident, and famous, and the people they protect love them.” The half-gem contends. “And... celebrate them, and look up to them.  I’m none of those things, and I barely know anything or anyone in Beach City, even though I’ve lived here my entire life! Heroes always know where they’re going with their stories!. Exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution. Meanwhile, I’m always stuck feeling like I’m back at the beginning, where I’ve started. I don’t know what to feel or what I’m doing!”

 

  They sit in silence for what seems like minutes, the only sound present being that of the waves gently washing up against the shore.

 

  “You don’t have to know what to feel…” Steven gently cuts in. “I don’t think anyone gets how they feel.”

 

  “That’s what Amethyst always says. That’s what Garnet always says, but I feel like that’s getting me nowhere!” She notices her voice is considerably raised now, and for a moment, she’s worried that she’s finally scaring him off.

 

  “Well…” Steven begins, undeterred, “what do you want?”

 

  The question is unexpected; hitting her hard enough to jolt her from her negative spiral. “What?”

 

  “What do you want?” He asks sweetly, the question coming as a breath of fresh air to her. Everything about Steven comes as a breath of fresh air to her. “It’s not selfish to ask that question to yourself. Sometimes, it can really help you make sense of things.”

 

  Yet another silence settles in between the two of them. She does have an answer, but she’s not sure if it’s the right answer.

 

  Her heart makes the decision for her. “I want… I want to make friends.” She says softly, embarrassed it’s something so… cliche. That she’s a cliche. That she’s a walking, talking trope that’s been hashed over and over again in thousands upon thousands of stories, but _she_ can’t figure out how to get over this feeling.

 

  A pregnant pause hangs over the two of them, leaving her wondering if her answer is wrong. _(Probably.)_

 

Uncomfortable with the silence now hanging in between the two of them, she elects to just stare out into the distance, wishing she could just take back what she said.

 

  “...You really are her.”

 

  She wasn’t expecting that. “What?”

 

  “You… you were the one who rescued me and my dad a few months ago! On that cruise ship?”

 

  She doesn’t recognize him, but she does recognize the word _cruise ship._

 

  “Me and dad were on vacation! We were spending it on this cruise, just chilling in our cabin. I opened one of the portholes for some fresh air, and that’s when I noticed there was this second sun from out of nowhere!”

 

  “You mean the Red Eye?” Connie asks to confirm, her eyes widening.

 

  “Uh, that’s what they’re called?” Steven asks, to which Connie nods. “Anyways, Then there was this pink laser beam from out of nowhere, and suddenly the second sun exploded! The pieces fell into the ocean, creating this wave that turned over and beached our ship! We ended up trapped in our cabin, since something was jamming the door from the outside, until this pink blade cut it in half!”

 

  She finds herself amazed at the improbabilities of such a chance meeting. “Me and the gems blew up the Red Eye, since it was a scouting probe from…” Her voice falters, as she realizes just how reluctant she is to throw the topic of Homeworld at him. “Space. We saw your ship beach, so we were the first to respond.”

 

  “I only caught a glimpse, but you had this determined look on your face when you rescued us.” Steven glows. “Listen, no matter what you think of yourself, you _are_ a hero.”

 

  “I was just moving on instinct… the gems told me to stay put but I went inside when I heard people calling out for help. Pearl yelled at me for disobeying orders... I… I didn’t even remember you! I’m not even sure I saw you!” Connie says in amazement.

 

  Steven laughs it off. “Well… yeah. You were busy, doing… hero stuff.”

 

  “Hero stuff?” Connie asks, smiling.

 

  “Yeah! Hero stuff!” Steven affirms proudly.

 

  The two of them break out into laughter.

 

  “You saved me…”

 

  “I didn’t really do anything special! I just joined up with the people who were still inside searching the hallways and volunteered to help them out. It could have easily been anyone else!”

 

  Steven frowns at her constant downplaying, before deciding to embrace her in a warm hug. “Listen. This, is for saving me. You’re a half-space gem girl who fights monsters and saves people! There’s no way you’re not a hero!”

 

  The half-gem tries to protest, but finds her willingness to do so faltering as her cheeks grow warmer once more.

 

  “Thanks…”

 

  “No prob, Bob.”

 

  The two chuckle at the old saying.

 

  “Can I get your number?” Steven asks.

 

  She’s never heard those words before. “Number?”

 

  “Like… cell phone number?”

 

  “Oh… right!”

 

oOoOo

 

  Having exchanged numbers, the two of them had silently elected to head back towards Beach House, talking about little things, like video games and ice cream flavors, along the way.

 

  Hers was strawberry. His was ‘mixture,’ which was essentially every ice cream flavor the shop offered mixed into one. The boy would promise that he would let her try the flavor concoction next time they saw each other, which they promised would be soon.

 

  Eventually, they reached their destination.

  

  Only to be greeted with a familiar pink silhouette.

 

  “Lion.” She states, her mood instantly souring. She closes the distance between her and the patio at a speed which leaves Steven slack-jawed and scrambling to catch up with her.

 

  “What are you doing? You left us behind at the pizza place. Do you know how embarrassed I was?” She states frustratedly, making her way up the stairs.

 

  Lion ignores her interrogation, and opts to tear through the door separating him and the inside of Beach House.

 

  “Lion no!” Connie scolds.

 

  “Connie!?” Steven comes up from behind her, panting. “W-what’s going on?”

 

  The barrier now gone, Lion struts on freely into Beach House, Connie and Steven following from behind.

 

  “Lion!?”

 

  Opening his mouth, Lion releases a howl, one which is highly atypical considering the soundwaves are visible to the naked eye. The sound is loud enough to shred apart Connie and Steven’s eardrums, forcing them to wince in pain as a response.

 

  Amethyst, still napping, finds herself and her pillow fort flung away by the roar, only to wave it off. “Ugh… keep it down Connie…”

 

  “What was that for?” Connie fumes, storming over to Lion. She turns her eyes towards the Desert Glass holding Lion’s attention. “The pillow? Is this what you wanted? This pillow? I thought you came all this way back for me because you cared about me!” Her mouth is on autopilot, her eyes tearing up, as she grabs hold of the Desert Glass.

 

  Lion closes the distance between him and the pillow, and Connie evades him in kind.

 

  She had just been in way too good of a mood to tolerate this. “Fine! If all you cared about was this stupid pillow…” She dashes outside, into the patio.

 

  “Connie, wait!” Steven calls out, to no avail.

 

  “Then you can have it!” She finishes, throwing the Desert Glass to the sand below.

 

  Upon making contact with the beach, the earth underneath erupts, rumbling and shaking violently, as the shore comes to life.

 

  She instantly panics with regret, rushing towards ground zero. “That… may not have been my best decision.” Connie meeps out, eyes as wide as saucers.

 

  “W-what’s happening!?” Steven asks, scrambling to keep up.

 

  “Connie!” Pearl shrieks, having rushed outside with the rest of the gems. “The Desert Glass, it's rebuilding its castle. Why didn't you bubble it earlier?!” She directs to Amethyst.

 

  “Welcome to shrug city, P.”

 

  “Connie! Don't move, we're coming!” Pearl orders.

 

  “Okay!” Connie responds, before the sand whips up into a storm, capturing them both.

 

  Their eyes burn. She knows she can’t obey Pearl’s order. “We-we have to move out of the gust!” She explains.

 

  The two of them take the other’s hand, and they move the only direction they can go; forward.

 

  Once they’re free from the sediment whipping against their skin, they open their eyes once more, only to encounter the Desert Temple, rebuilding itself.

 

  “There it is, the pillow! We… we have to get it off the sand!” Steven identifies, pointing towards the central altar.

 

  “Steven… I’m sorry…” She whimpers, shaking. “This is all my fault…”

 

  “Connie! Look at me!” He grabs her, smiling throughout the chaos. “Remember what I said!”

 

  The Desert Glass, sensing the two intruders, fires off a volley of sandstone projectiles at the two of them.

 

  On instinct, without any thought concerning her well being, Connie throws herself in front of him, her gem glowing in sync with her movements, her thoughts, her heart-

 

  “Connie!”

 

  And a bright pink light encapsulates the two of them forming a bubble that shrugs off the projectiles with ease.

 

  “Whoa… magic bubble…” Steven gazes in awe.

 

  Connie just gazes at her hands in disbelief. “Whoa… I… I made a bubble!” She exclaims, before reasserting her adrenaline over her amazement. “Er… how do we get out of here!?”

 

  Appearing at their side, and popping their bubble, is a familiar pink feline. “Lion! You didn't come here to steal the pillow, you came here to protect us from it!” Connie realizes, to which Lion growls in agreement.

 

  Her confidence renewed, she turns to the boy. “Steven! We can’t just stay here, we’ll sitting targets!” She states bluntly.

 

  “W-we have to get the pillow, right!?” Steven asks, in awe.

 

  She nods, wearing the same look she had worn months ago, back on the capsized cruise ship. “Take my hand!”

 

  He does so, and the two climb atop Lion, and charge headlong into the jungle of sandstone architecture, weaving through the rising pillars and walls that construct and rebuild themselves with only one purpose in mind; to splatter the feline and his riders.

  

“It's up there!” Steven locates, pointing up towards the center temple.

 

 “It’s setting up way too many defenses!” Connie reports, the temple surrounded with a field of sandstone spikes. “How are we going to get up there?!”

 

  Lion fires off a concussive roar towards the field, clearing up a straightaway leading straight towards the Desert Glass.

 

 “That’s was effective. Let’s go!” Connie orders, Lion roaring in agreement.

 

  “Charge!” Steven agrees.

 

  They ride across the pathway with ease, only to be stopped in their tracks by another set of pillars, constructed in haste to stop their advance. Their construction is in vain, as Lion sets off another concussive roar, toppling them over to create a pathway leading upwards the altar, towards their objective.

 

  Without hesitation, Lion takes the path, galloping at full speed. In a move of desperation, the Desert Glass encases itself within a tomb. Several mini pillars are spawned from the pathway, each hoping to impale the intruders. It is all in vain, as Lion bobs and weaves through the hastily constructed columns with ease.

 

  The Desert Glass’ final move, is to fire off yet another volley of sandstone projectiles, aimed not at Lion, but at his two riders.

 

  “Oh no you don’t!” Connie replies, grabbing at and projecting her sword on instinct, deflecting the projectiles with ease.

 

  “Now, Lion!” She orders, and he obeys, firing off the final concussive roar, which tears an entrance and an exit, into the Desert Glass’ tomb, allowing the three of them to ride on in and out with ease, Desert Glass in hand. They cheer, as they fly into clear skies, out of the sandstorm, and onto the beach below.

 

  The fortress fades away into nothingness once more. Upon landing, the two of them are sent flying from their mount, landing with each other, still holding hands.

 

  Her other arm holding onto the Desert Glass for dear life, she groans in unison with Steven as they pick themselves up, their adrenaline rush wearing off.

 

  “Ugh… I hate sand…” Steven quips, before bursting into cackles, right alongside Connie.

 

  The first sight greeting them are the gems, digging themselves out from the sand. “Connie! Are you alright!?” Pearl asks. “What happened! And what is the lion doing all the way here!?”

 

  “She… was amazing!” Steven proudly answers, which shocks Connie.

 

  The gems give each other looks, asking who exactly Connie’s new friend is.

 

  “You… mean it?” she asks, to which Steven shoots her a look that states _‘Of course!’_

 

 Connie smiles warmly, before turning to Lion. “Thank you Lion… I’m sorry for doubting you.”

 

  Lion nods in forgiveness, before returning to his normal mood of apathy. She smiles in response, realizing how utterly cat-like he is.

 

  “That whole desert temple reminded me of a final boss of a level! Like, when they manipulate the environment!” Steven continues excitedly. “You know, when they lure you into their lair and all of a sudden the walls change and there are spikes and moving walls and fireballs everywhere? And that sandstorm reminded me of Pocket Monsters Verde! You know, when you encounter the desert in Route 111 but you can’t cross because you needed the Go-Goggles?”

 

  Connie just shrugs her head, smiling in relief that Steven wasn’t traumatized by the incident, and isn’t running away from her at full speed.

 

  “You’ve never played Pocket Monsters before!?” He squawks in disbelief. “ I can totally lend you one of my games!”

 

  Before she can excitedly agree to the offer, she finds herself interrupted by Pearl and Amethyst from behind.

 

  “So, are you gonna introduce us Connie?” Amethyst teases playfully.

 

  A familiar warm feeling flushes in her cheeks once more.

 

  “Another human? Connie doesn’t talk with others very often, so I am _very_ curious!” Pearl muses, forcing Connie to nod and laugh awkwardly.

 

  “You guys are the gems?” Steven asks, stars in his eyes. “Um… S-Steven. Steven Universe.”

 

  The gems smile at his nervousness.  

 

  “I’m Garnet.”

 

  “Sup. Amethyst.”

 

  “Pearl.”

 

  “And with Connie,” Garnet continues,  “We, are the Crystal Gems.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: what should i name this chapter  
> subconscious: lion lovers  
> me: stop
> 
> also:  
> me: no way this chapter will be longer than the last  
> later me: welp


	5. Lion: The Movie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven and Connie try to ride Lion to the movie theater, but he takes them on a side trip to a dangerous temple first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Steven's appearance is from when he shapeshifted himself older in Steven's Birthday.
> 
> every time i see my work when browsing for fics i cringe

  The sensation that is warping… is something Connie knows she never wants to get used to. It’s not that the feeling of having her consciousness and physical form deconstructed for the purpose of being sent into a magical warp stream so the user can travel any distance in impossible time was painful. Rather, it was the fact that the experience felt like…  **_nothing_ ** , despite the aforementioned process above, that disturbed her.

 

  Also the fact she keeps floating upside down whenever she’s in the warp stream. And the fact she gets nauseous easy when she isn’t hopped up on adrenaline.

 

  “Connie, you’re going to make yourself sick.” Pearl scolds, grabbing at her waist to upright the half-gem, only end up whacked upside the head with the longbow perched on Connie’s back.

 

  The pale gem narrows. “Why… do you even have that?”

 

  The half-gem is all too quick to hash out an answer. “It’s from training! With me and Garnet!”

 

  “Connie and I agreed that she needed a weapon to protect herself with when her powers are being unreliable.” Garnet adds in. “We decided on a bow. Range.”

 

  Connie nods. “Don’t worry m’am. I’ve been learning how to use it with help from Garnet, and as always, I’ve come prepared-whoa!” She panics as her longbow slips off her back as if to spite her, forcing her to float-scramble after it.

 

  “Connie get back here! You could get seriously-”

 

  The warp stream halts abruptly, her physical form released upon Earth’s surface once more. Only instead of falling onto the familiar surface of the warp pad as she always had, she’s flung into the air, and ends up landing onto an uncomfortable viscous surface. Cold, soft, mushy, red and tart.

 

  Strawberry flavored.

 

  “Hurt!” Pearl continues, having actually arrived  _ on  _ the warp pad, unlike the now strawberry-covered half-gem. “Connie! Are you-”

 

  Not needing more reasons for the gems to worry about her, she does her best to block out the pain (like the gems taught her, as it’s a natural gem power,) and she picks herself up. “I-I’m fine, everything’s okay!” She reassures the gems, who have rushed over to her landing spot. “I’m just… very tart. Is this a strawberry-”

 

  Interrupting her interrogative, is a swarm of ruthless, cruel, elite winged insects that collect around her, infesting her arms, her hair, and-

 

  “W-what’s happening!” She shrieks, flailing around to shake the parasitic winged creatures off. “They’re going for the eyes not-fair not-fair get-them-off get-them-off!”

 

  The attack ends when the half-gem trips over a stray branch, forcing Garnet to wave off the avaricious arthropods. “They’re just butterflies Connie.” 

 

  Recovering from the underhanded ambush, the half-gem groans. “Ruthless butterflies! What kind of enemy goes for the eyes first!”

 

  “They don’t even have skeletons Connie.” Amethyst teases. “At least, I think they don’t have skeletons?” She looks to Pearl, who nods, before the purple gem snatches one from the air, plotting it in her mouth.

 

  “I’m suddenly having second thoughts about bringing Connie on this one.” Pearl voices to the leader, folding her brows in concern.

 

  Garnet places her hand on her shoulder in reassurance, gently shushing the pale gem. “Just look at her.”

 

  The half-gem has taken a  desperate battle stance, bow in hand, eyes bloodshot. Having become utterly paranoid of her surroundings, she scrutinizes the environment around her in anticipation for the next ambush.

 

  “Now let’s go recover the gemstone.” 

 

  The air smells tart, that of strawberries. The skies are shaded the daintiest of sky blues, the atmosphere dotted with a great many clouds, pinkened in color. Strawberry growth stretches out forever, defining the landscape, but the earth is littered with what seems to be an endless assortment of weapons and blades.

 

   “Unbelievable!” Pearl begins with genuine wonder, taken in by their surroundings, “this was once a Gem battlefield, now it's wild strawberries as far as the eye can see!” Elated with the progress of the landscape, the pale gem channels her delight by performing a twirl.  “Oh, that’s what I love about the Earth! Maybe this will be a light mission after all-”

 

  Before the half-gem can ask Pearl to elaborate further on the whole ‘former gem battlefield’ thing, they’ve reached their destination.

 

  Cold. Efficient. Commanding. Those are the words that come to mind when she observes the design of the temple housing their gemstone. The shape is a simple design, consisting of a smooth pyramid with murals carved onto the walls. Only… upside down, the capstone embedded in the earth, the ‘base’ facing the sky.

 

  The half-gem scratches her head in confusion, until she remembers gems aren’t bound to the same limits (or customs) as human architecture is.

 

  “Maybe not.” Garnet approaches, summoning forth a key in her arms. It slides in the keyhole with an almost unnatural ease. The entrance to the temple does not merely open, it fades into nothingness, revealing the walkway leading indoors.

 

  Inside, the half-gem first notices that the ceiling is inscribed with yet another mural, this one depicting not symbols, but a story of what she deduces likely part of  the history of the gems. She can make out… conflict. And violence. And suffering. And at the very center of the mural, what is undeniably her mother.

 

  “Is that… mom?” She asks softly.

 

  Pearl gently places her hand on her shoulder in reassurance. “The center mural is what I can identify to be the rebellion, with your mother center stage. The other murals… I’m not so sure.” She admits softly.

 

  Amethyst and Garnet approach the center of the room, contemplating what Connie identifies to be a pedestal, topped off with a floating pyramid.

 

  “Should we touch it?” Amethyst asks, brushing her scruffy hair out of her vision.

 

  Garnet waits to give her response. “There isn’t anything else inside the room.” She concludes, before lightly tapping at the pyramid.

 

  Suddenly, rising. All four Crystal Gems are lifted upwards, into the open channel in the ceiling. The half-gem does not feel the air rising against her body, leading her to conclude it is gravity itself that is being reversed to lift them through.

 

  The channel eventually ends, spitting the party out. Each Crystal Gem lands safely, and gracefully. Except Connie. She screams the entire way through, and lands flat on her face. 

 

  “I’m going to guess Homeworld doesn’t exactly have safety codes for buildings…” She groans, as the entrance they came through seals up.

 

  Blocking out the pain, she does her best to stand up and shake away any possible headaches. 

 

  Sparks. Heat. Combustion. Torches surrounding them light up, illuminating their environment. The party finds they are stuck inside some sort of circular chamber, with sixteen possible exits in total. There are no hints as to what the corridors may lead to.

 

  “Looks like we’re gonna have to split up.” Amethyst concurs.

 

  “Right.” Pearl agrees. “Connie and I will stay right here where it seems to be safe, while you guys go and solve the mystery of this place.”

 

  “Pearl! I want to help solve this temple!” Connie protests.

 

  “You sure?” Amethyst asks. “There are probably dangerous traps, ready to kill us.”

 

  “I have plenty of experience with dangerous temples.” Connie says with confidence.

 

  “Your Legend of Linkle game doesn’t count.” Amethyst shoots back with a smirk, eliciting another groan.

 

  Garnet decides to toss her hat into the ring. “Connie goes with me.” 

 

  Connie stares at the leader gem, stars in her eyes. “Thank you so much.” She meeps out.

 

  “But Amethyst is right. There are traps everywhere. Stay close, and we’ll be fine.” Garnet orders, starting towards the nearest hallway.

 

  “Yes m’am.”The half-gem nods with vigor, before smirking at the other two gems. “Good luck you two.”

 

  Following from behind Garnet, the half-gem finds her newfound energy difficult to contain, having to shake her arm in attempt to find some channel for her energy. “Focus Connie. With two minds, nothing can stop us!”   
  


  Garnet stifles a chuckle.

 

  “W-what’s so funny?” Connie asks, tilting her head in a way Garnet finds cute.

 

  “Nothing. Come on.”

 

  The corridor feels cramped, dark and arid with nary life, organic or not, in sight. Eventually, the hallway ends, emptying the two of them into the first chamber. Before she has time to notice, the entrance shuts down on them, complete with metal bars.

 

  They observe that the floor before them is divided into a grid of panels, each the exact same shape and size. Around a third of the squares begin to glow with ethereal light, including the panels below their feet, with no discernable pattern to their lighting.

 

  “We need to stay on the glowing panels.” Garnet deduces.

 

  The half-gem nods, before jumping. “W-wait! What if… the room is playing mind games on us!”

 

  Garnet decides to entertain the half-gem.

 

  “I know the panels below us are glowing, but… what if it’s all just a trick, and every panel after the ones we’re standing on are traps? What if each horizontal row reverses the pattern of glowing panels being good, and non-glowing panels being bad!”

 

  “That’s an unlikely possibility.”

 

  That only encourages her. “So it’s a possibility! Which means… that…” nervously, the half-gem decides to experiment, lightly tapping at the nearest non-glowing panel.

 

  In response, the floor groans violently, collapsing into a gaping pit of hellish fire. The half-gem panics, scrambling in the direction of the exit, only to end up falling in.

 

  “Overthought it-overthought it-overthought it-overthought-it!!!” 

 

  “Connie!” Leaping after the half-gem without hesitation, Garnet wall-jumps off of the remaining panels, reaching the girl and scooping her up in her arms before she falls into the flames. Connie in hand, Garnet completes the jumps with ease, finishing the course and arriving at the exit, which opens at her arrival, leading to the next corridor.

 

  The gem releases her from her iron grip, and the half-gem stumbles on her feet, trying her best to follow her through the next corridor. Her breathing is erratic, she’s hyperventilating, gasping for air, and laughing from an oncoming adrenaline rush, all from nearly being burnt into a crisp. She jumps when they arrive at the next chamber, and the exit slams shut right behind them. 

 

  She groans, feeling a headache coming on.

 

 “We can take a break if you’re not feeling well Connie.” 

 

  The half-gem wipes her brow of sweat and ashes. “Ugh. I-I’m okay! W-we can keep going!” She tries to reassure the gem she’s okay, by leaning onto the wall, partly because she wants to look less frazzled, and partly because she’s having trouble standing.

  Instead, she leans into a button.

 

  Revealing spikes. 

 

  On the ceiling.

 

  They fall. 

  Whoops.

 

  “Run!” Garnet orders, which the half-gem readily obeys, scrambling in the direction of the exit as fast as her legs can take her.

 

  “This cannot be complaint with space safety regulations!” She screams.

 

  She’s nearly turned into pulp when spikes land right before her, catching her jacket and tearing it up. “Wah!” The half-gem staggers back, leaving her vulnerable to the spikes right above her.

 

  Garnet rushes over to her side, summoning both her gauntlets and holding up the serrated ceiling before it can crush her, allowing Connie to pick herself up and dash towards the exit.

 

  Having ensured Connie’s safety, Garnet makes her escape by performing a cartwheel which gets her through the hallway of spikes safely in one swift movement.

 

  Landing gracefully, the gem looks completely unfazed, as she always does. “Now that was a close one.”

 

  The half-gem laughs it off, nausea and vertigo returning with a vengeance once more. “Yeah… pretty… close…” Her walk unsteady, and unwilling to risk leaning on the walls once more, she scrambles to stay right behind Garnet as the duo make their way into the third room.

 

  This time, the door doesn’t slam shut right behind them, which is a relief. What isn’t a relief, are the swinging giant axe-pendulums, the pit of spikes, the falling spikes, and the falling lava.

 

_ Then  _ the door slams shut.

 

  Her eyes grow wide as saucers. “Not fair…” She meeps out.

 

  “Connie, get ready. This is gonna be intense.”   
  


  She nods, stifling a whimper as Garnet picks her up effortlessly. She almost regrets going on the mission. Almost.

 

  They stay still for what seems like minutes, as Garnet observes the way forward.

 

  “Or not.”

 

  “Huh?”

 

  “This is simple. It’s all a matter of timing.” Demonstrating her point, Garnet jumps the lethal obstacle course with incredible ease, making it to the other side unscathed. “See?”

 

  Connie just stares at her, stars in her eyes, as the gem sets her down to continue to the next chamber, leaving the half-gem scrambling to follow her, legs still wobbly.

 

  Preparing her nerves for the next room, she instead would be greeted by a familiar sight.

 

  “We’re back where we started.”

 

  Connie snaps, glaring at the starting chamber. “What!? Did we really go through all of that, just to end up back where we began!?”

 

  One of the many doors open, causing the half-gem to jump, expecting a fight.

 

  “Garnet, there you are!” Pearl pants, completely flustered in a manner strangely atypical and typical at the same time for the pale gem. “The doors and rooms here make no sense, they all bring you here!

 

  Another door opens, revealing Amethyst, charging back into the starting chamber, furious, and ignoring the presences of the other three Crystal Gems. “Get me out of here!” She screams animalistically, charging into another chamber.

 

  Pearl begins to pace back and forth, in an attempt to soothe her panicking nerves. “There are sixteen doors, and we entered from the northeast and went through three consecutive rooms in a straight line…”

 

  Another chamber door, signalling the return of Amethyst, still as incensed as before, only this time with a bear trap clamping down on her skull. Ripping it off without any obvious physical harm on her form, the purple gem charges headlong into another chamber. 

 

  Throughout the chaos, the alabaster gem stays focused trying to work through the temple design through logic. “B-but arrived back here out the southern-most door, which could only mean... well, I don’t know what it means!” The pale gem admits, throwing up her arms in frustration. On cue, Amethyst returns once more, this time frozen in an ice cube, leaving Connie speechless at the torture devices built within the temple.

 

  “This is a death trap!” Pearl finally admits, before rushing over to Amethyst, projecting her polearm to break her free. 

 

  “W-What do we do?” Connie looks to Garnet.

 

  “We go back in.” Garnet admits, without emotion, a stark contrast to her panicked and neurotic teammates. “Again, and again, and again, and again.”

 

  The half-gem lets herself lifelessly fall on her back. She tries to rack her mind for alternative solutions, but finds none. “Ugh! This temple makes no sense! I know gems are supposed to be from outer space… but this design makes absolutely no sense! This is stupid!”

 

  “I know!” Pearl agrees. “I’ve never seen anything like this before!”

 

  “It’s okay.” Garnet reassures.

 

  “No, it’s not!” Connie responds aggressively. “We are not going back in there again! This is just like a poorly made video game that’s so difficult and badly designed, you have to hack into the console just to make it playable!” She explodes, grabbing at her hair. “Why on earth, should we have to play by  _ their  _ stupid  _ rules _ !”

 

  “That’s it.” Garnet whispers.

 

  “Huh?” Pearl and Connie ask in unison.

 

  Kneeling down, Garnet projects her gauntlets, which rumble with their signature whirr, before smashing them into the floor―!

 

  The surface beneath them crumbles, revealing a gaping maw they fall into. The cause of their endless spiral is finally revealed, the mechanism powering the entire temple.

 

  Floating pyramids (upside-down, like the temple,) spin around in an endless spiral, providing the platforms the gems land safely on (including Amethyst, who’s ice ends up shattered, freeing the icicle gem.) In the center of it all, an obelisk, a large, upright rectangular prism, with pyramids floating off of both ends.

 

  The half-gem does not possess the reflexes (yet) required to land safely on one of the pyramids, forcing Garnet to catch her. “Whoa!”

 

  “This is unbelievable!” Pearl glows, immune to the vertigo, projecting a hologram model of the very room they’re in.  “This Gem-powered mechanism! It's manipulating the rooms above. Every room we entered spun us until we came back to the central chamber! It’s just like one of those pointless human contraptions created for amusement!’

 

  “Like in Amusement Tycoon 4!” Connie realizes out loud, before steeling her perception, blocking out the velocity of her ride to locate their objective. Her focus tunnels into the center of the room, towards the floating obelisk. There, the objective, the gemstone shines, embedded within the monument. “Garnet, I need to get off the ride  _ now _ .”

 

  She nods, knowing what Connie is aiming for.  Grabbing hold of the half-gem, she chucks her at the target, with just enough force to ensure that she’ll make it, but not be turned into jelly on impact.

 

  The landing is still painful, but she remains conscious, and does her best to block out the pain once more. Straddling the obelisk, she slides down to where the gem is, and begins her efforts to pull the powering mechanism out. 

 

  She grunts in frustration as she tries to put all her force into pulling the gem out, only to halt upon noticing that it’s glowing. 

 

  She looks up, only to see the obelisk is now turning-

 

  The gem is released, sending her falling to the pedestal below. Her landing is soft, but it still jolts her, having been completely unexpected.

 

  The spinning pyramids have stopped moving, having halted dead in their tracks, before starting to glow, and dissolving into pure prana. It flows into the center of the room, into the gemstone Connie holds, sending her into a panic, unsure what to do with what is now likely a bomb―!

 

  And sure enough, the bomb implodes in her hands, her body ruptured to the core with magical energy, her eyes completely blinded as she feels… itchy. And… gooey. Mushy. Tart. 

 

  Strawberries.

 

  “Connie? Connie?!” Pearl. “Where is she?”

 

  “Ahh, she’s over here.” Amethyst.

 

  She opens her eyes, realizing that she’s just fine, safely resting in a strawberry bush, partly coated in strawberry goo again, gemstone in hand. “The Gem…”

 

  Pearl walks over, gently coaxing it from her grip by bubbling it, before sighing in relief.

 

  “Ah, I’d say you handled that adventure very well.” The pale gem admits, before sending the bubble off.

 

  Even Amethyst gives her an approving smirk. “Yeah, nice job.”

 

  “And thanks to you, we figured out the temple.” Garnet adds, smiling warmly at her, making the half-gem swell in pride.

 

  “Yeah… I...I did it!” Connie glows, before picking herself up to give everyone hugs, all around.

 

  “Oh Connie, we completely underestimated your abilities.” Pearl admits, warmly returning the half-gem’s affections. “From now on, we’ll bring you on every mission, and we’ll show only the utmost respect for you and your potential!”

 

_   “She didn’t really say that.” Steven says, deadpanning her attempt to exaggerate the story. _

 

_   Connie groans. Why did Steven have to be so good at detecting lies… _

 

_   “Yeah…” She reluctantly admits. “What really happened was I just got attacked by another swarm of butterflies.” _

 

  “Aah! They’re in my eyes again!”

 

oOoOo

_   Sailor Luna and the Stellar Guardians unite to save Earth from an alien force! When they were still a child, Iris Heart gave a single rose as thanks to an alien child who helped them cope with the loss of their parents. Since then, their long-forgotten friend Nia has searched across the galaxy for a flower worthy of his gesture. Nia’s final choice is the beautiful Illyrian flower, which has a very dark side—it has the power to fatally drain energy from human life! Now, Sailor Luna and the Stellar Guardians must go into space to stop the impending destruction and save Iris Heart! _

 

_   Sailors of the Lunar Skies M: The Movie  _

  
  


  “Whoaaa. I can see why this is your favorite franchise.” Connie comments, immersed by the trailer showing on Steven’s smartphone.

 

  “That’s right!” Steven puffs out his chest. ‘In a world, threatened by the forces of evil, it turns out the only ones who are capable of saving it, are kids like us!”

 

  She playfully coughs in protest. “Excuse me, I’m almost fourteen?” She exaggerates.

 

  “Almost fifteen.” Steven answers, wearing a proud smirk.   
  


  “Really!?” She raises a disbelieving eyebrow.

 

  Steven nods. “I was held back a year though ‘cause my education was all janked up. You know, from moving and being on tour and all?” He says, expression and voice growing lower, which Connie takes note of.

 

  Her eyebrows furrow. She’s not exactly sure what that means. “Oh… what do you mean by ‘held back?’”

 

  Before he can answer, a familiar sound reaches her ears. The warp pad in Beach House activates, signalling the return of the gems.

 

  “The gems are back.” She announces, making way to greet them, Steven following closely behind.

 

  Garnet adjusts her visor. “Greetings.”

 

  Pearl is the one to receive him, smiling as she does so. “Oh, well hello Steven! What a surprise to see you!”

 

  “We’re going to watch a movie about magical girls, with magical powers.” Steven announces.

 

  “Really?” Amethyst asks. “Can I see?”

  Steven nods, reluctantly taking out his phone to show the three gems the trailer. “I mean… it’s… nothing compared to what you guys do.”

 

  All three gems kneel down to watch the trailer on his device. Halfway, a mischievous smirk forms on the purple gem’s face. “Oh-ho-ho, that's easy!” Her physical form glows, before evaporating into pure light. When the purple gem comes back, she is wearing a brand new outfit, one resembling the magical sailor uniforms in the trailer, complete with a personalized moon stick.

 

  The magical demonstration leaves Steven slack-jawed and Pearl groaning.

 

  “Who needs to go see movies when you've got, magiiiiic!” The purple gem taps at her moon stick, and it starts to play one of Amethyst’s tunes.

 

  Garnet finds herself nodding to the beat.

 

  The half-gem waves her off. “Stop showin' off, Amethyst. Pearl, do you mind giving us some money for the movies?” 

 

  The pale gem nods. “How much do you need?” She asks, reaching into her gem, pulling out a small wad of currency. 

 

  At this point, Connie’s worried she’s breaking Steven from magical overload (she had decided to tell her about her ‘aging’ incident just earlier on, a story which had Steven in tears.) “How much would we need?” She asks, poking at him.

 

  He jumps, having been entranced by the demonstration. “Oh! Um… we’ll need a lot, since movie theaters like to charge a lot when concerning food.”

 

  The alabaster gem hands the entire wad over to Connie, who promptly splits it with Steven.

 

  “This is… a lot of money for the movies!” He replies, in awe the amount of cash in his hands.

 

  “Oh, it’s no worry. We really have little use for human currencies other than to  maintain Connie’s… human needs, and our source of income is almost limitless.” Pearl reassures, referring to Amethyst’s room having a limitless supply of junk they can just inject into human economic markets whenever they’re short of cash.

 

  “Oh… um… okay.” He turns back to the half-gem. “The closest theater actually playing it is kinda far off though, since it’s kind of a ‘niche’ audience. Ocean Town, where I live. Should we call for a taxi?”

 

  Connie bites her lip to conceal a smirk. “Actually… I have an idea.”

 

 

*****

 

  “We’re going to ride Lion!?”

 

  The pink feline yawns, before lying down on the soft sand of the beach. 

 

  Connie chuckles nervously to herself, walking over and pressing her face into his mane. “We’ve ridden him before, remember!?”

 

  “Well, yeah but that was different!” He nervously shuffles. “It was all… actiony.” 

 

  “Actiony?” She asks, amused by his ‘clever’ word modifications.

 

  He decides to double down on his explanation, grinning. “Yeah! Actiony!”

 

  The two fall into familiar laughter, only to be interrupted by a harsh snarl from Lion.

 

  “I think… Lion might be telling us it’s time to go.” Connie states, motioning for Steven to follow, who complies.

 

  Straddling aboard his back, the two of them take their time, as they want to make sure they don’t end up falling off.

 

  “Don’t you have like a saddle?” Steven asks, in concern.

 

  “Erm… no?” Connie innocently answers. “I’ve never needed one really.” 

 

  “Oh… okay.” He nervously places his arms on her waist, and the two blush mildly at the physical contact. “Never thought I’d be riding a lion before I rode a horse…” He tries to joke.

 

  “But Lion’s not a horse, he’s a… lion.” She answers, noticing the lack of originality in her name.

 

  “You couldn’t come up with a more original name?” He teases.

 

  “Uh… time constraints. And I guess the name just stuck?”  She grins innocently, and the two chucke. She grabs hold of Lion’s mane like a harness, careful not to pull too hard. “Lion, I want you to take us to the movies.” 

 

  The order receives only indifference from the pink feline. “Lion… you’re not listening to me…” She awkwardly chuckles. “Lion, I said I want you to take us to the movies.”

 

  A cool breeze blows in the distance. The day was perfect for enjoying the outdoors, the town was quiet,  _ and Lion wasn’t doing anything— _

 

__ “Come on Lion…” She says again, irked by his indifference. The confidence she felt earlier is beginning to fade away, replaced with her usual awkward nervousness.

 

  “Um, Lion isn’t trained very well,” she tries to explain, “so we might be running into some problems here—”

 

  Suddenly, his eyes widening, Lion roars, rearing up on his hind legs and charging forth, leaving only behind a cloud of sand as he does so.

 

  “Whoa!” They both jerk, laughing in bliss adventure.

 

  The cool ocean breeze feels wonderful as it brushes past them, smelling of  _ life,  _ as they gallop past the Beach City oceanfront, attracting the dumbfounded gazes of tourists and residents. 

 

  They nearly fall off as he turns a  _ hard  _ left, facing towards the beach and into the _ ocean―! _ ”

 

  “Waaait, Lion!” Connie protests, scrambling desperately to turn him around. “Don't go in the oceeeeeaaaaan!”

 

  Joy and adrenaline turns into fear and regret, as they charge full speed ahead into what she’s certain will be the watery end of their adventure, and their friendship.

 

  Only to discover that they aren’t being submerged by water by Lion’s decision-making. Instead, he runs across the it, much like Pearl has demonstrated before, defying normal human physics and treating the body of water as a solid walkway.

 

  “You can walk on water?” She asks in stupified amazement, though she realizes she shouldn’t be too shocked since he is a pink  _ magical  _ lion. “Why don't you tell me you can do these things you do!?”

 

  Galloping across the oceanscape, Lion punches the speed, doubling it in a matter of seconds, though the ride retains it’s enjoyable and relaxing feeling, feeling akin to a Sunday drive. Holding out his hand, Steven starts laughing as a seagull perches on his arm, before disappearing into the skies as fast as it arrived. 

 

  They pass by a fishing trawler, each sailor equally dumbstruck by the sight of two adolescents riding a pink, magical lion on the ocean. 

 

  Connie waves, partly out of joy, partly out of an attempt to impress Steven further. The sailors wave back, still slack-jawed.

 

  As they leave the ship behind in the distance, they catch the sight of the sailors dumping whatever alcohol they had onboard, eliciting further laughs from the two of them.

 

  With Beach City disappearing further and further into the distance, the two are left wondering the same question. “Is… Lion heading towards the movies?” Steven nervously asks, chuckling.

 

  “Um… maybe I should have input something more specific?” She attempts to laugh it off. “Lion?”

 

  Answering their question, is another roar from Lion, this one more akin to a howl. Why he howls is not a matter of pride, or communication, but of magic, as they quickly discover from the pink wave of energy fired off from his mouth.

 

  The magical energy takes the function of a portal, they discover whilst charging straight into it, head-on―

 

  They scream. 

 

  Endlessly expanding. Mindlessly reforming. They enter a tunnel of blinding light where the universe accelerates and distances are diminished, bound together not by the laws of physics, but by magical energy ethereal and unearthly. They struggle to hold on to their mount, as Lion quintuples, then septuples his speed, racing light, the stars, the cosmos, and achieving speeds unknown-

 

  “He can do this!?” She faintly hears Steven scream.

 

  “This is totally new!” She answers back.

 

  As quick as it started, their dimensional portal ends abruptly, spitting them back out. 

 

  Lion perfectly lands on all fours. Since he doesn’t have a harness, Connie and Steven are launched off his back, landing hard into a pool of ankle deep water, soaking them through.

 

  “Ugh… this is why we use harnesses.” Steven groans. 

 

  Connie rocks her head, groaning from an oncoming headache, and from how she managed to complicate something as simple as _ going to the movies _ . Picking herself up, she gathers her hair, wringing out whatever water has soaked through. “Steven, you okay?”

 

  “That was so cool.” He answers. She sighs a breath of relief. 

 

  Inspecting her surroundings, she discovers they haven’t arrived at the movie theater in Ocean Town, but inside a cold, dark cavern flooded with water to their ankles. To her surprise, the cavern does not appear to support life. Nor has it appeared to been visited by life. The environment smells completely and utterly sterile. Barren. Devoid of organic life.

 

  She finds Lion staring upon them, standing atop a silver platform. It’s style is foreign, devoid of human influence. It resonates with magical energy, and like the cavern it resides in, it too, is utterly and completely sterile, devoid of organic matter.

 

  Lion turns around, approaching the center of the platform.

 

  “Lion! W-what are you doing!?” Connie puffs, clearly frustrated..

 

  “Is this… one of those magic gem places you’ve told me about?” Steven asks, looking around with intense wonder.

  They approach the center of the platform together, and upon making contact, it begins to glow a bright white light laced with magical prana. As their bodies bathe in the ethereal glow, she can faintly feel her gem heating up.

  She slowly nods in response to his question.

 

  As the light fades into nothingness, a pedestal arises from the center of the platform, carved into the shape of a hand. Embedded within it… some sort of pink insignia. The feeling of undeniable nostalgia she feels just from looking upon it is suppressed with the feelings of frustration she wants to unload on Lion right now.

 

  “Lion, I would be all about this stuff right now, but this is  _ not  _ the movies…” She states, voice grating.

 

  Lion roars nonchalantly in response.

 

  She throws her hands up in exasperation. “What’s that even supposed to mean Lion!? What’s that even supposed to mean!”

 

  “Connie… maybe he brought you here for a reason?” Steven asks, still inspecting the hand pedestal.

 

  She groans, before pacing around the pedestal. “Well maybe, but if we don’t hurry we’ll miss the movie, then you’ll be disappointed, and I’ll be disappointed you’re disappointed, and they won’t show the movie anymore, and you’ll never get to see it, and―!”

 

  Before her hypothetical can advance any further, she slams her hand onto the pedestal. The entirety of the platform answers her unintended call, and glows with a radiant energy in response.

 

  “Hey!” Steven glows. “I think it likes you!”

 

  Stressed out, she lifts her hand to wipe her damp forehead, only to discover yet another problem. Her hand is stuck.

 

  “Uh… Steven… a little help?” She panics.

 

  Steven’s attention firmly redirects back to her. “What’s wrong?”

 

  Placing her foot against the pedestal, she tries to yank her hand off the structure, only to discover something new. She’s really stuck.

 

  “M-my hand is stuck! It likes me too much!”

 

  His response is instant. “Hold on, I’ve got you!” Rushing behind her, he grabs hold of her arm to try to help her lift her stuck appendage off.

 

  They pull, and pull, and pull, harder, harder, and even harder, and she shouts for him to desist when her arm starts feeling like it’s about to rip off.

 

  She groans in frustration. “What, am I going to have to chop it off!?” She jokingly asks hypothetically.

 

  A non-corporeal switch flips inside her gem. Once again, the platform answers her unintended command, and a plethora of blades and weapons rise from the surface, floating and ready for her command.

 

  “Swords!” Steven exclaims excitedly.

 

  A panicked mantra escapes from Connie’s lips.  _ “Not-what-I-meant not-what-I-meant _

_ not-what-I-meant not-what-I-meant-!” _

 

  The swords obey, a pink circlet appearing above the blades, pushing them down into the platform, and out of sight.

 

  Her command duly performed for the third time now, she thinks she recognizes the true nature of the pedestal.

 

  “Whoa…” Steven gazes in awe. “How’d you do that?”

 

  She shares her hypothesis. “I think… I can control it!”

 

 “You can!?” He glows, before shaking her shoulder excitedly. “Do it again.”

 

  She smirks. “Alright…” She decides on mimicking the transformation sequences from _ Sailors of the Lunar Skies. _ When nothing responds, she realizes embarrassing poses and her are a recurring theme in her life.

 

  “Hmm…” Steven observes before poking her shoulder, “what about this?” 

 

  “Ow!”

 

  “Did that hurt?” Steven asks, visibly concerned.

 

  “Er, it was just unexpected, that’s all!” She replies, flustered.

 

  Not one to give up in the search for more magical sightseeing, Steven decides to jab at her abdomen, causing Connie to jolt, stifling a guffaw.

 

  Steven raises an eyebrow. “Connie… are you…”

 

  “I am not ticklish!” She spits back defiantly, before a mischievous look sets upon his face.

 

  Fingers crawling up her sides, the half-gem erupts into an uncontrollable mess of laughs and giggles, stuck at the mercy of her friend.

 

  “Steven! Stop! I can’t—ahah—breathe!” She manages to choke out, flailing wildly whilst trying to push him away.

 

  Grinning, he decides to desist, cheeks equally as flushed red as his friend’s. When she recovers, they stare at each other for what seems like an eternity, the two of them embarrassed at their… fight, unsure of what to say next.

 

  Ending the moment, is the sound of metal clanking against each other. They break their gazes, inspecting their surroundings and discovering the many suits of armor now surrounding them.

 

  “All this armor…” Connie observes, finding it to be strongly resemblant to human armor, pre-modern era. Pearl having explained gem culture’s influence on human development, she’s no longer surprised by these discoveries of cultural diffusion. 

 

  Now firmly wanting to find more about the platform, she looks to Steven. “I have an idea. Press my nose.”

 

  Steven nods, lightly booping her nose. The armor sets are withdrawn from display, and rising to take their stead, are three laser light cannons.

 

  “Are those cannons?” Steven asks.

 

  Connie nods. “Pearl has one back home! They’re what we used to destroy the Red Eye.”

 

  “Cool…” Stars in his eyes, he walks over to inspect the bombards, letting Connie explain how they work. Once his curiosity is sated, he walks back.

 

  “What next?”

 

  “Hmm… try the mouth?”

 

  He nods, and pulls on the corners of her lips, which elicits the response they desire.

 

  Next in line to replace the laser light cannons, are a set of axes, then a set of flail weapons, eventually concluding with a giant penny, a giant scale replica (originator) of the United States currency, which raised a ridiculous amount of questions they found the platform incapable of answering.

 

  Steven sighs, his excitement beginning to wear off. “This is great, but…  I get the feeling though, I'm not really supposed to be here.”

 

  Connie’s face falls a little. “I want you here! I mean, I don't want you  _ here _ . I guess Lion wants us here. But  _ I _ want us to be at the movies!” She explains, giving a look of implication at Lion, receiving only further apathy. “I totally want to see your magical-girl hero movie!”

 

  The platform drones suddenly and coldly, the glow of the stage shutting off, and leaving the two of them in darkness. Her hand is released from the pedestal, sending the two of them staggering back.

 

  Rising center stage, a translucent, bipedal, humanoid holo-drone. It is very much reminiscent of a holo-pearl, only it’s body is far bulkier and taller than Pearl’s, being around twice the pale gem’s size.

 

  When it speaks, the voice is cold, monotone, and low, and metallic.  _ “I Was Designed To Assist In The Training Of Crystal Gems. You Have Not Been The First. Nor Will You Be The Last.” _

 

__ “Should we be worried about this?” Steven asks, hiding behind the half-gem.

 

_   “Life Forms Detected. Setting Difficulty Level:  _ **_Nine_ ** _.” _

 

  “Yes! Run!”

 

  They split up, scattering in opposite directions. Their platform remains as flat as it started, providing them with no opportunities to hide or take cover against the holo-training drone.

 

_ “Calculating Most Efficient Attack.” _

 

__ “Connie! Your sword!?”

 

  The half-gem tries to grasp at the blade she knows exists in her gem, her heart, but ends up only holding thin air. “I… I can’t! Why do my powers have to be so… unreliable!?”

 

  The holo-training drone’s receptors lock-on to the half-gem, pulling out a holo-blade from a holo-scabbard. It dashes at her at speeds she’s only ever seen Pearl perform.

 

  Her eyes locks onto the holo-blade, allowing her to predict dodge the holo-drone’s slashes with ease. Realizing she can’t keep up forever until her stamina runs out, she decides she’ll perform a risky manuver.

 

_ “Opening Detected.” _

 

  Providing the holo-drone with an opportunity to perform a downward strike, she grins when it takes the bait, and takes a running slide under it’s arms, past it in a manner which would make Pearl proud. The holo-blade instead meets the platform, embedding itself within.

 

  “Connie! What do we do!”

 

  The holo-drone pulls the blade out of the stage, which repairs itself at once. Detecting the boy’s voice, the holo-drone turns towards him.

 

  “Steven!”

 

  They scramble towards each other as the holo-drone gives chase, closing in from behind the boy. The half-gem throws him behind her, and encompasses the two of them in a bubble before the holo-blade can make contact with flesh.

 

  The blade bounces off their protection, but she can feel her ability to keep the bubble up faltering as the holo-drone bashes against it with impunity.

 

  She needs an escape. She needs for another factor to enter this fight, to even the odds-

 

  “Lion!” The pink feline answers her call, walking over, still as apathetic as he typically is. “Help us! Please!”

 

  Lion nods, before letting off a concussive roar which sends the holo-drone flying off the platform. 

 

  “We need to get out of here Lion! Right now!” She pleads, unwilling to check if the holo-drone is now disabled.

 

  Lion acedes, popping the bubble before lying down upon his stomach, signalling for them to get on.

 

_   “Be Warned. I Cannot Allow These Attacks To Continue.” _

 

  Lion jumps off the platform to circle around it, gaining speed before letting off a final roar to escape through yet another magical wormhole.

 

  Their trip this time is much shorter than before, whether it’s because of distance, or perception is left unanswered, as their dimensional wormhole spits them back out into civilization once more, this time in the midst of a city… in front of a movie theater.

 

  The half-gem just gawks in disbelief. “What!? Now you take us to the movies!?”

 

  In response, Lion sits down to rest, letting his two riders slide off his back lifelessly.

 

  They groan from the fall, though the half-gem feels intact, for the most part. Looking over to Steven though, she takes notice of a small cut on his left cheek.

 

  “Steven! I’m so sorry!” She scrambles to see if she can do anything to disinfect him, only to remember she came here empty-handed, and groans. 

 

  “It’s okay!” He reassures her, wiping at his wound. “It’s only a flesh wound.” He chuckles.

 

  She sighs, happy that she hasn’t messed everything up yet. She concludes he can clean up inside the restrooms. “Well… we’re at the movies. Shall we?” She stands up with as much confidence as she can muster, offering him his hand.

 

  The look on his face falls again. “I-it’s okay. Let’s just… forget about it.”

 

  Her heart drops, afraid and confused. Was...this her fault? “Steven… I’m so sorry…”

 

“Connie, it’s okay-”

 

  “No it’s not!” She explodes at herself.  Would things have gone like this if she hadn’t gone out of her way to complicate things? If she had just agreed to the taxi, would things have gone differently?  “You’re hurt, and I ruined your movie! I don’t know why you’d want to hang out with me!” She confesses, her voice vulnerable and guilty. “I’m a total freak and I mess stuff up because of that!”

 

  “I don’t know why you’d want to hang out with me! I’m so much less… interesting than you! You have this whole magical destiny hero business going on, and I’m… just a normal person! I’m not that interesting,  _ I  _ mess stuff up all the time, I barely even have any friends!”

 

  She raises an eyebrow in disbelief. “But you’re… so much cooler than I am! And nicer, and… how do you not have any friends?” She asks, voice growing softer.

 

  He sighs. “Well… ever since middle school, people have always thought I’m weird. They always talk behind my back, and think I’m some kind of freak for whatever reason. And the people who do talk to me, act… differently once they realize my dad’s famous and rich. But you’re different! You save people, you fight monsters… you didn’t even care when I told you my dad was rich and famous. Why would you even care about something so… childish as Sailors of the Lunar Skies?”

 

  “Well… they’re magical girls! They’re reincarnations of ancient magical warriors from space, who have to face the forces of evil, all while growing up! They have these beautiful transformation sequences, and they’re going to save the world! It’s like this series was made for me!”

 

  “Well… I’m none of that.”

 

  “But you’re still Steven. I like you!” She says, blind to the implications of her words. “You’re… you’re the first person to actually want to spend time with me outside of the gems. And I don’t care if other people are too stupid to see what’s great about you. I want to be your friend, and hang out with you, and do friend stuff whether-”

 

_ “Hostiles Re-Detected.” _

 

  They jump at the familiar metallic voice.

 

  Lion snarls; they observe where his attention is, and realize the holo-drone has somehow almost made it’s way through the portal, now stuck inside of it and on the verge of escaping.

  
  She gawks in disbelief for what must be the upteenth time today. “Are you kidding me! It followed us through the portal!” She looks to her feline companion. “Lion, what do we do!?”

 

  Answering her call, his mane and eyes grow with a holy light, and he bows before her, presenting his forehead. From which she can feel a burst of magical prana, which takes upon a corporeal form. A pink handle forms, sticking out of his temple, inviting her, calling to her.

 

  To protect what she cares about. What she loves.

 

  The half-gem nods, deciding revelations of Lion’s magical abilities at strangely opportune moments are to become regular in her adventures. Pulling the handle out, it reveals itself to be attached to a medium-sized spiraled pink shield. It’s design is decorated with pink rose thorns, the center shaped as a rose.

 

  “You have a shield in your head!” She squawks. “Curse you language-based communication barriers!”

 

_ “Weapon Detected. Switching To Ranged Mode. Hostilities Recommencing.”  _ Still struggling, the holo-drone finally manages to escape the portal.

 

  “It came through!” Steven panics.

 

  Taking it’s stance, the holo-drone’s visual receptors glow a violent red, before releasing forth a fireball. The projectile misses, hitting a car instead, rupturing the fuel tank and exploding violently. 

 

  Steven whimpers. “Hope they had insurance…”

 

  A second fireball, this time on point. The shield takes the blast with ease, but the impact is strong enough to send her staggering back.

 

  “How are we supposed to fight like this!?” Connie wonders loudly. “Steven! Stay behind me!”

 

  The boy nods, as she begins advancing towards the enemy, which continues it’s barrage on the shield.

 

  She can feel her arms turning to jelly every impact, the ends of her hair singed. Her legs lock into the ground to prevent her from staggering backwards, forcing her to advance only whenever there’s a respite in between blasts, Steven following from close behind.

 

  Around the seventh fireball, her arms and legs give in and buckle.

 

  “Connie!”

 

  “Just go… Steven… It’s too much… I’m not a gem… I’m… I’m only half of one! I’m not strong enough!”

 

  “Don’t say that! Even if you’re only half a gem, you can still be strong! We can still be strong! Like my mom always says! Strong in the real way!”

  When he grabs onto the shield right alongside her, she feels her drive returning with a vengeance. “R-right!” As her mind scrambles to analyze the situation, she remembers what Pearl told her.  _ ‘Wait for the perfect moment.’ _ Only those are few and far in between, since the holo-drone is constantly firing projectiles.

 

   Leaving it vulnerable to being staggered.

 

  “We need to wait for the perfect moment! We’ll charge once the next fireball hits!”

 

  He nods, smiling, as the two brace themselves for the next projectile, and manage to weather through the impact together with ease.

 

   “Charge!” The two cry in unison.

 

  They move in lockstep, closing the distance between them and the enemy, bashing it with their combined strength, sending it toppling to the ground. Seizing the moment, they finish it off by smashing the shield into the head. 

 

  The holo-drone’s image flickers weakly, holo-projection missing where it’s wounds should be. “ _ Challenger Wins. Would You Like To Duel- _ ”

 

  “No!” They panic in unison, stomping the hologram out.

 

  Once all traces of magical light have been stamped away, they take a breather, taking in their victory. They’re (mostly) unscathed, with only a few minor burns. The city is mostly saved, with a couple rogue fires having started. Nothing a call to the local fire department shouldn't fix.

 

  “Just like Captain La-Merica.” Steven concludes, stars in his eyes.

 

  “Who?” Connie innocently asks.

 

  He just stares at her blankly. “I am going to have to show you some of my comics next time I come over.”

 

  They laugh, just happy that the fight is over.

 

   “...You still wanna go for the movies?” She asks, nervously.

 

  He grants her a glowing smile in response. “Yeah.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: this can't possibly be longer than the last chapter  
> later me: wtf
> 
> also  
> me: steven is so sweet and kind-hearted  
> subconscious: would he survive in public school  
> me: maybe  
> subconscious: would he survive in your public school  
> me: no  
> subconscious: ;v
> 
> next up most likely is rose's room. there'll be drastic changes to canon for that episode I've planned


	6. Rose's Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connie's desire for some alone time unlocks a new room in the temple that answers her every wish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the chapter where i finally over-complicate things

  In a flash of light, Connie warps back into the temple, accompanied by Pearl and Amethyst, busy in their ever-so familiar cloud of vicious, pointless quarreling.

 

  “You know how I dance! You always just go off, doing your own thing with your complicated ballet routine! It completely… janks up my style!”

 

  “Well, your -style- of dancing is so… vulgar, and barbaric! Why should I be forced to lower myself to that… standard!?”

 

  “Oh, so you just don’t want to dance _my_ way because it’s gross, and embarrassing!”

 

  “No, I would just greatly prefer to keep to my method. Ballet is elegant, flows nicely, and most importantly _makes sense._ Yours is formless, nonsensical, and _meaningless_.”

 

  The violet gem throws her hands up, giving her a look that says _‘of course!’_ “It _always_ has to be your way doesn’t it!? Why am I always the one compromising! This is why we couldn’t form Opal! Why we never form Opal anymore!”

 

  The mission… was a disaster, to say the least. They were supposed to head off to the Sky Temple together to retrieve the Heaven Beetle, while Garnet was on a separate mission to retrieve the Earth Beetle by herself.

 

  The trio had been cornered atop the Sky Temple by a giant bird of some sort, forcing Pearl and Amethyst to attempt to fuse, (alongside a rushed explanation of what fusion was to the half-gem.) In short, they couldn’t synchronize, and failed, leading to _yet_ another argument between the two (on top of all their bickering during the long trek up to the Sky Temple.)

 

  ...Leading to Amethyst getting eaten by the bird, much to their horror. Only the violet gem wasn’t digested, allowing her to tear it apart from the inside.

 

  The Heaven Beetle was not found.

 

  They did find yet however, another argument to embroil themselves in on the way back home.

 

  “Since you insist on being this immature and provoking fights around Connie!”

 

  “Go on! Tell me how I’m just an embarrassment to you! To Garnet! To Rose’s legacy! That’s all that ever matters to you isn’t it!”   

 

  Connie’s tuned them out. She used to pay attention to what they said with great rapture, trying to diagnose what exactly was wrong with the two, but they would always push her aside during her attempts to intervene. Plus, it was always the same topics, every single fight.

 

  Sighing, she struts over to the refrigerator for some comfort snacks, picking out a fizzy lemonade for her to gulp down. It used to be that they would at least _attempt_ to see if she was there before screaming at each other. Now, it was like she didn’t even exist.

 

  “I don’t even understand what you’re even talking about anymore!” Pearl squawks, bringing her arm down on the kitchen top counter, _hard_.

 

  Hopefully, they’ll take their argument back into the temple, while she calls up Steven, or relaxes with some sour candy or something...

 

  Amethyst throws her arms up again, exasperated, before turning her back on her. “Of course you don’t! You’re _Pearl!_ ”

 

  The pale gem narrows her eyes. “Are you just jealous?”

 

  Caught off-guard, the violet gem narrows her eyes. “You think this is just jealousy?” She murmurs lowly.

 

  The pale gem gives her a condescending look, inviting her to elaborate. For a second, Connie senses Amethyst is about to burst into tears.

 

  Instead, the violet gem summons her whip. “Don’t you dare pretend that you don’t know what I’M TALKING ABOUT!” She raises her whip out at the now blushing pale gem, crackling forward (though not meaning to actually hit her,) who sidesteps the fake out easily. The blow instead cuts into one of the bookcases acting as the support for Connie’s loft clean in two, causing the structure of her room to violently groan.

 

  “Ah… shit…” She murmurs, feeling a flash of hot panic that quickly shows on her face while Pearl starts stammering incoherent, panicked squawks. She pulls back the whip, only for the loft to collapse in on itself, taking everything with it; her bed, her television, her nightstand, several other bookcases, her television, her game console-

 

  “C-Connie,” Amethyst stammers out, “I’m so sorry-”

 

  “Look what you did!” Pearl explodes, not knowing what else to do.

 

  Amethyst’s defense mechanisms trigger instantly, whether she wants them to or not. “W-well, it w-wouldn’t have happened if you weren’t arguing with me!”

 

  “We were arguing, because your aggressive and destructive tendencies, _clearly_ demonstrated here!”

 

  “We wouldn’t be arguing if you would just get off my case-”

 

  She finally snaps. “WOULD YOU GUYS CUT IT OUT!”

 

  Violet and alabaster go silent.

 

  “I was so happy when Garnet sent us on a mission together! You two have been nothing but awful to each other! Home is awful! Missions are awful! I thought that you guys could just stop fighting for ten seconds so we could all just work together and take things seriously, but all you two can agree on is to just keep screaming at each other!” She gasps for air, her frustrations having been spilled in a single breath. “Is it- is it me?”

 

  “N-no!” Amethyst scrambles, “it’s all us!”

 

  “W-we’re not fighting!”  The pale gem stammers out.

 

   The violet gem raises an eyebrow. The half-gem just frowns.

 

  “Excuse me?” Amethyst murmurs darkly.

 

  “What does it look like you guys are doing?”

 

  “It wouldn’t be like this, if we had a more healthy outlet for our communication! Sadly, that doesn’t seem possible with _you_.” The pale gem confesses, shooting a glare back at Amethyst, pale fingers apprehending her forearm.

 

  She swipes her hand away. _“EXCUSE ME?_ We wouldn’t be fighting like this if you weren’t the queen of running from your fucking emotions!”

 

  “Language!”

 

  The purple gem pops a fake vein (or twenty,) flailing her arms in the air, both in mocking and desperation. Soon, the two of them are re-engaged in their slogfest, endlessly throwing whatever complaints and insults at each other they manage to come up with. It’s somewhat like a fusion, only fueled by anger, and not resulting in a Giant Woman.

 

   _“It’s like they won’t even listen to me.”_

 

  The half-gem is left alone once more as their bickering plays out once more, wishing she could understand, wishing she could help, wishing she could at least _do something_.

 

  On the verge of crying, she just wants to be alone right now, but Pearl and Amethyst’s arguement, new, desperate, and equally as pointless as all the others, has entrenched itself firmly inside Beach House, and the two participants have no intention of budging.

 

  She doesn’t want to be on the beach, or the city right now, where anyone can see her, she needs…

 

  She needs…

 

  She needs a place all to herself.

 

  A familiar heat. Glowing, shining, gleaming with bright, ethereal light is her gemstone, calling out to her.

 

  It jumps her to attention. “Huh?”

 

  Her hands move towards where her instincts take them. “My… my gem!”

 

     She pulls up her shirt to her navel, and with a familiar warmth in her abdomen, her gemstone shines brightly.

 

   _That_ finally gets Pearl and Amethyst to stop fighting.

  
  On the temple door, the pink gemstone was alight. The entry opens, revealing inside an unfamiliar space, where she can only see the color pink. .

 

  “Rose’s door.” Pearl gasps. “Connie, your gem is opening your mother’s room!”

 

  The half-gem gazes upon the entryway in wonder, slowly leaving the two gems behind as the passageway beckons to her. She chooses to receive it’s call.

 

  Amethyst and Pearl, in their first moment of unity today, both call out to her, in vain. “Connie wait!”

 

  She can barely even look at them. “So _now_ you guys have stopped arguing?” She glares at them, making them shrink in shame. Her look softens as a result, she really doesn’t want to make this worse... “I… I just want to be alone right now.” She tries softly, before stepping inside.

 

  Her first observation upon walking inside, is that there is nothing, yet everything greeting her. A vast landscape, devoid of physicality, yet full of love. Light-pinkish clouds, a pale-pinkish sky. Endless, limitless. Infinite, unbounded. Calming. _Unbelonging_. Serene. Beauty. Life.

 

  Once she’s in deep enough, the passageway leaves her behind, poofing into pink clouds with a spectacular _-puff-._

 

  “...Huh.” So she’s stuck here for now. That’s fine with her. She just wanted to be alone right now, and so far, the room is delivering. And if she needs to leave, she reasons that mom must have had some way to exit.

 

  “...Clouds.” She observes, walking through the cloudscape. “This is strange… what kind of room is this? It must have had a purpose…”

 

  Ten minutes into her walk, she’s cooled down, and is beginning to feel remorse for exploding back there.   

 

  “Should… I have been more patient with them?” She asks to herself softly, before shaking her head. “No Connie. You… you need to stay angry. You’re in the right here. Probably.”

 

  Thirty minutes into her adventure, she has a new target for her frustration, her lack of discovery. “Did mom… just really, really like clouds?” She asks out loud, having laid down on on her back, onto the clouds to rest. She observes that the surface is soft, and plushy, like freshly washed silk blankets.

 

  “I wish… I wish I knew what this room was for.” She yawns, eyes shutting closed so she can take a nap, before she hears a familiar _-poof-_ above her, and she rubs at her eyes.

 

  Appearing in front of her, are words. **_“Voice your desires.”_ **

 

  The anomaly in her field of sight is enough to wake her up. “Huh?”

 

   **_“Voice your desires.”_ ** The text beckons.

 

  ...Desires? So… a request?

  

  “Erm…” She wonders what she should test out first. “A bed, a surface to lay down on, that’s even more comfortable than these clouds?” She tepidly voices.

 

  Materializing at her command, the half-gem finds herself lying upon an Imperial-French canopy bed, draped with silk and satin, sheets of plush and velvet.

 

  She snuggles the sheets as furiously as she can. “I _most definitely_ have to sleep in here from now on.”

 

  Bursting through the canopy in triumph, she’s too energized by the revelation of the room’s true nature to actually want to rest now.

 

  With a bemused smirk, she prepares her next request. “Well room, what I want now… is a donut, straight from the Big Donut of course, warm, freshly baked, chocolate glazing, sprinkles and cream filling. With napkins, of course.”

 

  Materializing instantly in her hand, is her order, followed to the letter. Though silently patting herself on the back for her delicious wish, she raises an eyebrow in suspicion however at the absence of a smell…

 

  Experimentally, she decides to take a bite, only for her mouth to meet clouds as her lips make contact with the false fried confectionery. Her suspicions are confirmed. The room can’t fulfill the sense of taste. Or smell. Or… the entire process of eating?

 

  With those sensations out of the way, the infinite amount of choices she can beckon the room to perform have become… sharply less infinite. Deciding not to dwell on the calculus for now, she decides to voice her next desire.

 

  “Oh room?” She voices in joking arrogance, “the Infinity Fair from book four?”

 

  Materializing to her call, a marketplace, an emporium, a global economic hub worthy of being named _Infinity Fair_ rises before, behind, around her.

 

  It’s… everything she thought the Infinity Fair would be. Hundreds of merchants conducting business, surrounding her. Each lost in their own unique conversations, without input from her.

 

  The pink worldscape is gone, replaced with blue skies, weather having turned cloudy and a tad chilly for one to relax in. But perfect for business, or encouraging uneducated consumers to feel… _fancy,_ and spend their hard-earned coins on wares of various quality, ranging from exquisite, to dubious.

 

  “I could get lost in here for years…” She admits to herself, eyes full of stars.

 

  A woman, pale skinned, amber hair, simple robes, stops in front of her to speak her mind. "Once I've made enough money trading with the government caravans, I'm going to buy The Witch’s Mare from Hilda."

 

  She nearly dies from nerd-bliss, recognizing the words uttered to Lisa, re-enacted by the word.

 

  “Good day!” She re-enacts back to the woman, before dashing towards a familiar shop, made recognizable by the sign outside: _Althor’s General Goods._ Squealing with glee, she rushes inside, greeted by a wave of heat from the crackling fireplace indoors. Resting upon the front desk, alongside an assortment of his wares, is the shopkeeper, Althor.

 

  Althor looks… everything she thought he would look like… leading her to wonder if the room is truly re-enacting the book, or re-enacting her _perceptions_ of the book’s events. Nevertheless, she’s enjoying it either way.

 

  “Hello!” She greets, struggling to contain her energy.

 

  “Everything’s for sale friend! Everything! If I had a sister, I’d sell her in a heartbeat!” The shopkeeper heartily declares, greeting her warmly.

 

  She nearly breaks out into laughter upon hearing the familiar lines. “How’s business?” She asks, stifling a guffaw as she re-enacts Lisa’s lines.

 

  “Interesting, to say the least. What with all that’s been going on, to say the least. On the one hand, supplies are harder to come by, since fewer traders are traveling the roads these days. But on the other, the scarcity of supplies has led to some… well… elevated prices.” He admits, with a chuckle. “All that matters, is that I have what you need. And it’s worth every coin!”

 

  She bursts out into guffaws, hearing the familiar lines re-enacted so perfectly. “S-sorry,” she stammers out, “it’s just… I’m so happy to be here.”

 

  He blankly stares at her, still smiling, still observing her.

 

  “Anyways, let’s get right down to business. What do you have for sale?”

 

  “Some may call this, me I call them treasures…” He begins, before pausing, returning back to his standard blank stare.

 

  She grins at the familiar words, but finds her grin wearing out as they both go silent, accompanied only by the fireplace, crackling with heat. “So… what do you have for sale?” She tries again.

 

  “Some may call this, me I call them treasures…”

 

  She raises an eyebrow at the repeated line.. “Excuse me?”

 

  Her inquiry is met with once again, a blank stare.

 

  “Are you… okay?” She asks.

 

  She notices his gaze is… locked onto her eyes… and he isn’t blinking. Or breathing. Or… even paying attention. He doesn’t break his stare, even as he starts walking towards her, through the front desk, knocking over all the assorted goods and bumping right into her-!

 

  Upon making contact with her, he bursts into clouds with a _-puff-_. Her ears are subsequently greeted with the sounds of swords brandishing, guns cocking, and bows being pulled back.

 

  “You have committed crimes against our great nation. What say you in your defense?”

 

  She jumps, turning around only to be greeted with the sight of dozens of market guards crowding the tiny store en masse, weapons brandished.

 

  “I… I didn’t do anything, he-”

 

  “Good day sister.” The guard switches moods instantly, putting away their weapon, with the others following suit, beginning to leave the packed-to-the-maximum, now ownerless general store.

 

  She raises in eyebrow in complete, utter confusion. “Huh?”

 

  They pull out their weapons again, turning around again to face her in unison, lockstep to repeat the jarring line. “You have committed crimes against our great nation. What say you in your defense?”

 

  She raises her arms in self-defense. “W-wait put your weapons away I didn’t do anything-!”

 

  Their gazes still held onto her eyes, the dozens of guards packed into the store begin to rapidly sink into the ground, still chanting the familiar phrase, now all in unison. _“You have committed crimes against our great nation. What say you in your defense?”_ They sink further, and deeper into the ground until they become visible no more, though they remain very audible, still repeating their chant.

 

  Dazed, and confused having witnessed the immersion-breaking sight before her, she decides to check what’s happening on the outside, only to be greeted with-

 

**“You have committed crimes against our great nation. What say you in your defense?”**

 

  An army. Facing the store. Weapons brandished.

 

  -Nope-nope-nope-nope-nope-nope-nope-nope-nope-nope-

 

  Sprints. She dashes as fast as her legs can take her through the marketplace, now consumed in an utter chaos, as the world behind her is overtaken, run over by what appears to be an _Infinite Army._

 

  “What’s happening!?”

 

  Some merchants remain completely oblivious to the chaos happening before them, some have been set on fire for whatever reason, some are now fighting with each other, some have had their faces melted off, and some are now glitching into the ground.

 

  Wait… glitch! She immediately hypothesizes the room is like a computer, and is overloaded because she decided to input _Infinity_ of all things-

 

  So she has to force stop.

 

   “Room! I want this all to stop! Please! No more Infinity Market!”

 

  The world around her groans and flickers endlessly, switching back and forth from night and day. The ground underneath her begins to disappear, revealing endless sky, though remaining physically solid for her to run on.

 

  Great. So she’s overloaded the room and now everything’s collapsing in on itself. Wonderful.

 

  She doesn’t know if the weapons of the Infinite Army will actually hurt her, or just poof on contact, (or if they’re even still following her) but she isn’t willing to test those theories out.

 

  “Gahh! Can someone would help me make sense out of all of this!”

 

  Cutting the next corner, she finds herself greeted with endless black. She tries to turn back, only greeted with more nothingness, until she’s pulled in through the earth, falling into who knows where-

 

  And she falls again, only her verticality is reversed, sending her back towards the ground only to land upon familiar concrete. Groaning in pain, she observes herself to be undeniably back in Beach City, likely the room’s simulation of it. Nighttime.

 

  A door opens.

 

  “Connie!”

 

  A voice, unfamiliar, yet unfamiliar.

 

  Facing the source of the voice, she gasps at the ~~familiar~~ unfamiliar figure; brown skin, jet black hair. Wearing on him a tan, button-up shirt, alongside a navy blue tie, with blue dress pants, and black dress shoes. Over them, a pale brown jacket, with glasses over his visage.

 

   ~~She falls into her **role**. “Dad?”~~

 

  “Connie? Are you alright?” He asks kneeling down, visibly concerned. “You look like you saw a ghost. Either that, or you stayed up all night playing a video game.”

 

  She frowns at the ~~unfitting~~ unexpected words. “I wasn’t… playing... I was just... wondering if I could talk.” She voices tepidly, ~~following the script~~.

 

 “Whoa whoa whoa whoa. Why don't we just sit down, and you can tell me about this crazy night you're having?” Taking a seat on the pavement, he pats the spot right next to him, which she tepidly accepts, ~~even though he’s supposed to be a simulation and-~~

 

_this is wrong_

 

  She clears her throat, wondering where to begin. “Amethyst and Pearl... were trying to tell me something about Mom's Room. But I was so mad at them that I didn't listen. They're always fighting with each other, and... I...I just didn’t know what to do, so I ran inside mom’s room.”

 

  “That's not so bad. Everyone needs some alone time now and then.” He finishes his line with an awkward ~~ly unfitting~~ air guitar riff.

 

   _wrong_

 

  She recalls when Steven introduced her to his dad over dinner weeks ago. “You’re… acting so much like Steven’s dad.”

 

   **_So much like Steven’s dad._ **

 

  “Huh?”

 

  “Well the important thing is family and friendship, honesty values, and no one got arrested.” His line performed perfectly, he finishes it off with another **awkwardly unfitting** air guitar riff, played soullessly and mechanically.

 

  She purses her lips in contemplation. “Yes… you’re so much like him…” Her words are slow, and methodical, as she struggles to complete her train of logic, “b-because you’re not him! I-I’m still in the room! You’re… you’re not real… but if the room is making you… then…”

 

  The sound of him ignoring her once more, continuing to play his air guitar provides her with the answer.

 

  “Then that means… I don’t know! All I know, is that you’re not him! You… you aren’t my dad!”

 

   _“What do you want him to be?”_

 

   She stands up, backing away from the apparition in revulsion and nausea. “Dad’s supposed to be protective, and… and sometimes really strict… and… and… sometimes silly, but… you’re… you don’t feel like him! Who are you, what are you supposed to be, and why are you taking the form of my dad!”

 

  How she knows what her dad’s supposed to look like, is a question that doesn’t cross her mind, and doesn’t get the opportunity to.

 

  She feels his fingers gently shushing her lips. His form flickers, glitching endlessly, struggling to remain intact. _“ ~~You’re right. I’m not your dad. Not… in the full sense of it. But no matter what happened, no matter where you went, I just wanted you to know, that I am proud of you, and always will be.”~~_

 

  She nods.

 

~~_“I just... wish I could have been there to see you.”_~~

 

  Without another word, he poofs back into clouds, that disappear into the darkness, away from her memory, away from her mind, leaving her alone as the simulation of Beach City collapses into nothingness.

 

  “...Dad…” She ghosts on her lips, before realizing she’s all alone once more, save for herself, and a calling… forward.

 

  Mother’s room is empty now. Not just empty as in lacking objects to simulate, empty as in _broken. Inactive._ Devoid of... emotion, both things with emotions, and things that provoke emotions. She knows she needs to get out of here, so she can get back home and apologize to Pearl and Amethyst, and tell them what happened,  but something tells her she’s not done here.

 

**_“Don’t turn away now.”_ ** ****

 

  All her instincts scream at her to stay away, yet all her instincts scream at her to pursue.

 

**_“There’s a reason why you’re here.”_ **

 

  Without anything to guide her save for her intuition, she follows it, taking her, deeper into the broken room, deeper into the endless darkness.

 

  She walks for hours. Her walk becomes mechanical, she treks further into the incertitude accompanied only by her own thoughts, on repeat.

 

**_“Don’t turn away now.”_ ** ****

 

**_“Don’t turn away now.”_ ** ****

 

**_“Don’t turn away now.”_ ** ****

 

  Eventually, a figure comes into view. She stops dead in her tracks, recognizing the familiar sight; a stocky build, curly black hair. Red shirt, blue jeans, pink sandals, sitting upon what appears to be an edge of some kind.

 

   **_“ ~~Steven?”~~_ **

 

  She can make out stray, directionless notes from what she recognizes to be Steven’s ukulele, alongside his faint breathing, calm and serene.

 

  Her first suspicion is that he’s just another reconstruction of Steven by the room. That she has nothing to gain from talking to her own mind, and she’s just wasted her time.

 

   _“ ~~You don’t.”~~_

 

Her instincts naturally tell her to approach leave. So naturally-

 

   _“ ~~Don’t.”~~_

 

  She draws closer.

 

  “Steven?” She voices softly, just loud enough so the he can hear her.

 

  The apparition before her jumps, ukelele in hand. His face glows with light, and she notices their figures are completely illuminated in the darkness of all that remains. “You’re… you’re here! You’re not supposed to be here… Well, you are, but you’re not supposed to be _‘here.’_ You know what I mean?” He asks his nonsensical question, both to her, and himself.

 

  She raises an eyebrow in confusion, struggling to form coherent thoughts. Why would her mind call for Steven to appear before her?

 

  “Well… even though you’re not supposed to be here...” he chuckles, “since you made it, you… wanna sit down and talk?”

 

  She makes an unreadable noise at the back of her throat. What exactly would she gain from talking from the room’s reconstruction of Steven?

 

  “I’m not clouds, by the way. Not completely.” He tries to reassure her, failing.

 

  “How… do you know about that?”

 

  “I’ve been here before. Well, not before, but… it’s complicated. And you won’t remember anything if I tell you.”

 

  She scoffs, amused, taking offense. “Excuse me? My memory is great.”

 

  He sighs, giving her a sympathetic look. “You... want a donut?” He asks, poofing up a to-go bag from the Big Donut, pulling out two fried confectionaries out, and offering what looks like a chocolate glazed donut with sprinkles to her.

 

  “No thanks.” She declines politely, attempting to return to the previous topic…

 

  Her stomach grumbles to spite her. She frowns. He grins.

 

  “It won’t poof, if that’s what you’re thinking.” He adds shortly thereafter.

 

  The donut now held to her nose, she sniffs experimentally, observing it to… actually smell. And smell… like donut. And good! Curiosity piqued, she snatches the glazed dessert from his hands, and takes a bite, greeted with the familiar, and oh-so-heavenly taste of chocolate glazed donut with sprinkles and… cream filling.

 

  “Taste good?” He asks, reminding her he’s still here.

 

  She gulps, expecting the mush to poof upon making contact with her esophagus, only to celebrate as it unexpectedly passes down her throat. “It… actually has taste! And it’s… good!”

 

  They grin at each other, only for an unnerving silence to rear it’s way in between the two of them again.

 

  She came here for a reason. A reason she never knew, and she's hoping talking to him more aggressively will reveal why she came here. 

 

  “Sorry… I just… I don’t know what I would get from talking to my perception of Steven.” She admits, deciding that she can be a little rude if she’s just talking to herself.

 

  He raises an eyebrow. “Steven me? Or Steven as in your Steven?”

 

  Her eyes squint. “My Steven?”

 

  Raising his eyebrows, he invites her to a game of ‘spot the differences.’ And sure enough, there are differences galore.   

 

  Observing him she first finds that he’s shorter, just enough so that his height is shorter than her. His neck is gone, his voice lighter and softer, just like everything else about him. He was… younger. But most important of all… she could sense him. Unlike the other apparitions. But most important of all, he feels _alive_. His eyes sometimes make contact with hers, sometimes lazily wandering off. He feels like an actual person, and she can’t figure out why. She can sense his presence, his breathing-

 

  His gem.

 

  “You have a gem…”

 

  He nods, and they reveal their navels in unison, showing off Rose Quartz gemstones embedded into their centers.

 

   _‘ ~~You’re… you’re me.’~~_ She wants to say, but the thought ~~is vomited out of~~ exits her mind as quick as it came, leaving the two of them in an awkwardly tense silence. She asks the next best thing.

 

  “You’re… like my distaff counterpart?”

 

  Steven shrugs. “Sort of, but not really.”

 

  “What… does that mean?”

 

  He frowns sullenly.

 

  She frowns as well, and tries to ask more questions, but finds herself obeying the unspoken order.

 

  “So… how are Amethyst and Pearl doing?” He innocently laughs to shoo away the persistent tension.

 

  She stifles a snort. “Being terrible to each other. It didn’t always use to be this way…”

 

  “...They’re in that phase?” He asks, with a far-off look in his eyes.

 

  She’s been drawn into the conversation, away from her topic of choice, whether she wants to be or not. “Pearl and Amethyst have been fighting for a while now… I don’t know what to do about them… I…” She remembers Amethyst’s face. How she was on the verge of tears, and how Connie just had to hijack the argument to make everything about _herself_.

 

  “I remember when they were like that…” Steven tries softly, distant look on his face, “it always hurt to see them fighting.”

 

  She lets out a frustrated breath. “They’re so… awful to each other! Every time they’re together and they speak for more than three sentences, they just end up blowing up at each other! It’s… it’s horrible! It’s… it’s like they’re kids who can’t figure out they like each other!” Her mouth runs off her hypothesis before she realizes it, and she finds herself covering her mouth, embarrassed, thereafter.

 

  He raises an eyebrow. “You think they’re like that?”

 

  She grits her teeth in frustration, before letting out a self-pitying sigh. “...What am I doing? I basically just wasted my time, going deeper and deeper into Mom’s room, which I somehow managed to break, just so I could talk to some form of magical construct the room made for me!” She directs to 'Steven,' hoping he'll pop soon and everything can make sense again.

 

  Steven tilts his head, feigning innocence that seems _oh so real_. “Well… let’s say you were talking to yourself, and I end up just being some magical construct of your brain. Do people really know everything that’s going on in their brains of theirs?” He asks, grinning. "To me, it seems like a prime opportunity to converse with yourself, and understand yourself a little better, something that you just don't get the chance to often."

 

  She can’t find any counter argument, so she decides to keep talking with… whatever he is, for now.

 

  “People would learn a lot about themselves if they were able to talk with themselves. At least, that’s what I’ve always felt.  Er… have you dealt with the time-traveling hourglass?”

 

  “Yeah. We secured it on a mission a while ago. We safely stored it in Pearl’s gem. Why?”

 

  Steven furrows his brows. “Huh… different.”

 

  “What’s different?”

 

  “Nothing. Back to Pearl and Amethyst! So, you think they…” he laughs, “like each other?”

 

  She laughs alongside him. “Well… not until recently. They’ve been bickering like an old married couple for a while now, and that’s when I started thinking like that.”

 

  He snickers. “Pearl and Amethyst never really felt that way about each other when I knew them. I thought they would when I was younger, but it never happened as I grew up.”

 

  Her skin freezes cold. “As you grew up?”

 

  He shifts in discomfort, trying to give her a comforting smile that just hurts her brain all the more-

 

  She raises an eyebrow, pressing on with her questions before they pop out of her head. “Why do things… feel so different when you talk about them!? Aren’t you supposed to be part of my mind!? And represent something about my inner turmoil that I haven’t managed to deal with until this moment!?”

 

  He gives her a longing look. “Yes… and no. Definitely no to the last part. We’re different.”

 

  The evasive answer does little for her unease, but she finds herself accepting it for whatever reason-

  

_**“Don’t turn away now.”** _

 

  “I-I-”

 

  “Connie… are you... alright?

 

**_“What defines the world you know?_ **

 

_~~“What… what are you?”~~_

 

###   The world shifts. Her mind pops, and everything _starts moving, changing, adjusting, modifying, altering-_

* * *

 

 

######  breaksbreaksbreaksbreaksbreaksbreaks

 

  “Connie… your nose is bleeding.”

 

  She comes to. “H-huh?” Feeling her lip, she observes it to be wet, and bloodied.

* * *

 

 shift

* * *

 

 

  She blocks the blood-flow with her sleeve, only to wince as her nose withers under the pressure, crackling painfully. The wrong words come back to her lips. “Why… am I hurting? Steven… it feels like there are thoughts in my head that aren’t mine-”

 

  “Shh.” He furrows his eyebrows in deep concern. “It’ll hurt if you try to fight it too much. You’re not ready… yet, so we’ll have to stick to topics that are safe for us.”

 

  “But everyone always tells me I’m not ready-”

 

  He chuckles. “That’s what I always thought too. This time though… you don’t really have a choice. So… back to Pearl and Amethyst?”

 

  She reluctantly nods robotically, obeying the invisible command.

 

  “So… does this mean they don’t like each other? Or are you the manifestation of my doubt that they’ll end up together?”

 

  “I’m not sure really. They might in your world!” He answers cheerfully.

 

  “My world? T-that doesn’t even make any sense! None of this makes any sense! I thought talking to… whatever you are, because you are _not_ Steven,” she accusingly points at him, “would help me get through this place and makes sense of things! But nothing makes sense with you! I don’t know what you are, why you look so much like Steven-”

 

#####   stop

 

  He lets out another disappointed sigh, who he directs it to is a mystery. “Like I said, we’re different. And the same.” 

 

  She stands up, huffing furiously to demand more answers she knows she won’t get. “What is that even supposed to mean!?”

 

  “It means I can’t tell you everything that’s going to happen. I want to, but it’ll be different. And even if I did, it’s the rules of magic. They won’t let you remember much, if anything.” He phrases carefully.

 

  A pregnant pause. With a calm exhale, Steven tries to collect himself so that their remaining moments together won't be spent in a blur of confusion and futile questioning.

 

  “...Isn’t it remarkable though?” He tries softly again, eyes distant. “The world is full of so many possibilities. And you’re... you're going to be one of them. The experiences you’ll have, the wonders you’ll see.” He sighs, reminiscing for a world Connie would never know. “I… I wish I could join them again.”

 

  She looks at him blankly. “Join them… again?”

 

  “Connie...  _we_ can’t both exist. I wish it were otherwise, but I… " he breaks off eye contact with her, "I have to leave this fight to you. But I hope you spend the little time you and the gems have to yourselves  _living_ , that you spend every moment loving being yourself, because… I’d be sad if it was other way. But I know that can’t happen. Because you have my shoes to fill. I’m… I’m sorry.”

 

  “Wait, what does that even mean!? You… you _are_ Steven aren’t you?” She repeats, grasping his shoulders and shaking at him desperately, feeling the his presence start to fail, and her memory starting to ~~delete~~ fail her.

 

  “I can’t spend much more time here. But I can give you this.” Their gems glow in heated unison, and she instinctively lets go of him to check on her navel. While she isn’t looking, Steven licks his fingers, and plants his drool-covered digits on her identical quartz gemstone, provoking her to shudder-

 

**_*Protect*_ **

 

  “W...what did you just do?”

 

  “One thing that’s different between us is our powers. You started out learning how to fight for the people you care about. Now, you can protect them too.”

 

   "Can't you just give me a straight answer?" Connie deadpans.

 

   "Magic doesn't work like that. It's way easier if it's learned naturally, and if I tell you what you should do, it probably won't help you with actual magic stuff. Trust me."

 

   He gives her as warm as a smile his physical form can manage once more, before his form begins to flicker, struggling to remain anchored to the world.

 

  “I wish I could stay here with you… oh! Word of advice! Be patient with Lapis when she comes back! She’s naturally stubborn!"

 

  The mention of her friend, among the stars jolts her. “Lapis? Steven- I...”

  

  Unlike the others, he simply fades, leaving her behind once more.

 

  It takes her a while to realize she’s just staring at darkness, the void. That she’s all alone once more.

 

  As her memories begin to fail her, she begins to wonder why she’s here. What she's doing here, in a place she isn't ready for yet-

 

  “Room… I want… I want to be back with the gems.”

 

  The room complies. A bit too quick for her liking.

 

  Chucked right out of Rose’s room, she finds herself breathing in familiar air, having landed atop of Garnet, knocking her over.

 

  “Ow.”

 

  The half-gem groans, though grateful for the reasonably soft landing. “Couldn’t mom have designed a better exit system…” She jumps when she sees who she’s landed on. “Garnet! You… you seem real… are you real?” She asks, fingers caressing the gem’s visage.

 

  The gem nods, grabbing hold of her hand to stop the uninvited pricking.

 

  “Connie!” Pearl. “We… we… we told Garnet, and it’s been hours since you’ve went in-”

 

  Amethyst, though grateful she’s okay, looks like she's sinking further into her self-inflicted guilt.

 

  “Guys, it was awful! I was trapped in this messed up version of the Infinity Market, then Beach City,  and everything was glitching, and-”

 

  “Rose’s room… built the entire city?” The pale gem asks. “It… it can’t handle a task like that…” She confirms Connie’s suspicions of her mother's room being a simulator, her arm bumping into Amethyst.

 

  The violet gem swats Pearl’s arm away. “Connie… we’re... we're so sorry…”

 

  She tearfully smiles, unable to control her joy from being back home, _where she belongs_. “It’s okay… I’m just happy to be back here with you guys…”

 

  “Connie.” Garnet. “You seem noticeably distressed. I want to ask you what you saw in there, if it's okay with you.”

 

  She nods in confirmation. “I... I recreated the Infinity Market from Unfamiliar Familiar… then Beach City… everything was glitching up… then I saw…” Her words leave her. “I saw…”

 

   _Who? What?_

 

_ Someone/thing important, perhaps. _

 

_ But that can wait until later, can’t it? _

 

“What did you see?” Garnet asks, taking off her visor, visibly concerned.

 

_What did you see?_

 

  “...Horrible things.”

 

  Garnet doesn’t ask for more as she gives the girl the tightest embrace she can give without hurting her, joined by the others.

 

~~_Did you really see anything?_~~

 

  She decides to wait until after the hug is over to tell them about seeing her dad, seeing a  _different_ Steven. She also definitely needs to call up her Steven on the phone, and tell him everything.

 

  _ Just relax. You’re safe here. _

 

  When she and the gems are deciding what to have for dinner (well, Amethyst and Connie,) she decides to wait until after to tell them about what she saw. Her dad. Steven? If she saw them...

 

#####    (you didn't)

 

  When dinner is finished, she decides to wait until tomorrow to tell them.

  
  She only remembers to tell Steven that she forgot something that she wanted to tell him he comes over days later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tfw mom’s room is a bethesda game
> 
> next part will be an interlude, detailing pearlmethyst's relationship. Likely r-rated, but no smut (i can barely write this trash), interludes update quicker and won't update my weeklyish schedule (if you're disgusted with my hopeless shipping i understand, sorry (notsorry(she's really sorry))
> 
> topics introduced here won’t be expanded on until much later (if i even get that far :/) for now, arc 1 is almost half done and will conclude with a jailbreak that ends differently, but still similar to canon enough for s2 to proceed


	7. Interlude: Confused

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pearl and Amethyst have their first discussion on the nature of their dysfunctional relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Sexual Themes.  
> Takes during the middle of the last Chapter, Rose's Room.
> 
> trash

  She’s a disappointment as a mother figure and she knows it.

 

  Sulking within the comfy pile(s) of her room, (one of her favorite designated sulking places, second only to the beach) she keeps running their last fight over and over again in her head. Wondering what she could have done to de-escalate the situation. Trying to figure out what started it. In the end, she comes up with one conclusion; Pearl is _really fucking hot_ when she’s all flustered and angry like that.

 

  Partially because when she’s all flustered and angry, she starts showing actual emotions, forcing her to break out of the loosely defined, yet rigidly practiced routine she’s made for herself since Rose left them.

 

   _‘-I will fight in the name of Rose Quartz, and everything she believed in-’_

 

   _‘That’s all you believe in anymore, isn't it?’_

 

  The thing is, Pearl’s right with her list of grievances against her. Amethyst knows she’s arrogant, brash, vulgar, immature, irresponsible, destructive, irritating, infuriating, blunt, brash, stubborn, brash, irrational… and selfish. Undeniably selfish.

 

  So the question is, if Amethyst is all those things, what does that make Pearl?

 

  Pearl. Fucking Pearl. Graceful. Just has to _exude_ beauty. Just... thinking about her makes her feel happy, confused, flustered and angry. And wanting to grab and chuck the nearest car or other similarly sized object at her _just to see her reaction-_ With her voice that's always melodic, her slim form, her teal eyes she found herself staring in way too often, at least until Rose left. Skin as pale as the moon, her body sculpted as if specifically for ballet, her thin fingers caught up in Amethyst’s long, mangy hair…

 

  She groans in lust-addled frustration, shapeshifting an empty stomach so she can filch a nearby bag of sour gummies she recently set nearby. She contemplates yet another sweet fantasy of her shoving her thigh up Pearl’s slender legs, the pale gem mewing uncontrollably, indisposed, stripped of her clothes, and helplessly turned on by her advances.

 

  She starts to feel her fake tear ducts swelling up, probably from the sourness of the candies.

 

  Just a few more years and maybe these stupid emotions will all wear off like they usually do.

 

_(Who is she kidding, she’ll up and start swooning for Pearl again a decade later, that’s how it’s been for the last millennia, (or three.)) (at least, until Connie showed up and-)_

 

  “Amethyst?”

 

  The purple gem curses herself as she hears Pearl approaching-

 

  “What is it Pearl?” It comes out much harsher than she expected, and she can feel the pale gem’s awkwardness rolling off of her, along with her scent-

 

   _Focus._

 

  Her voice is quiet, demure. “I was… reflecting on what happened between us…”

 

  She doesn’t want to look at her.  “Unless it’s about _us_ , then I don’t want to talk about it.”

 

  A pause. “This is… bigger than us. I thought you would be able to at least understand that much.” She states, almost robotically.

 

  Amethyst snorts. “Oh? Then what is this all about?”

 

  “It’s about… Connie… and Garnet… and the good of the team…”

 

  The violet gem laughs violently, and mockingly. “Not interested P. Come back when you’re taking this seriously.”

 

  The pale gem becomes indignant. Amethyst notes her neck feels more exposed than usual. “I am taking this seriously! You, aren’t!”

 

_Yeah, she is really fucking hot when she’s like this._

 

  “But you’re not taking _us_ seriously.” The violet gem deadpans, brushing her tussled up hair from her face.

  

  “I... don’t know what you’re talking about.” Pearl lies, nervously doing all she can do to make sure she can avoid eye contact.

 

  “Don’t you dare pretend you don’t remember.” Amethyst coldly says, with a hidden warning that this will escalate into another fight if she continues to skirt around the topic like this.

 

  For a hot moment, she wants to give into her impulses, and shapeshift into **_her_** form again. The only form Pearl’s ever felt love, _attraction_ for. She knows it’s wrong, and she doesn’t know what that’ll do _(who is she kidding, it’ll fuck everything up as usual,)_ but she wants to see… _Pearl,_ again. Not Pearl, protector of Rose’s legacy, but the Pearl she occasionally gets glimpses of whenever she’s screaming or emotional. Or scared.

 

   Her cheeks flush teal. “...Must we really discuss this…”

 

  And part of her hopes in vain that it’ll get them to kiss again. It’ll probably end the same way their last kiss did a decade ago, with Pearl starting to cry uncontrollably and run away, Amethyst throwing up. Even when Rose was still alive, when Amethyst didn't have to take her form, she still always ended up feeling like she needed to throw up afterwards.

 

  But if it’s for a second of pure bliss...

 

  “Amethyst, what we did back then… we were being impulsive.”

 

  Her heart sinks. _“A mistake, like everything else about me, amirite???”_

 

  “We weren’t thinking.”

 

  Amethyst scoffs. She’s right of course, but as always, she’s right at exactly the wrong time to be right.  “It’s not like we were making out on her tombstone-”

 

  “Enough.” Pearl’s voice grates considerably, and even Amethyst winces at her desperate attempt at humor. “I came here, because I wanted to move on. From everything.” She sits down, beginning to stroke the violet gem’s hair. “Amethyst… do you remember how we were, before… Rose left us?”

 

  The violet gem remains silent, ready to shapeshift ten new sets of tear ducts just so she can cry them all out.

 

  “I want… I want for us to be like that again…” She’s crying.

 

  The violet gem’s walls relent. “P…”

 

  “Believe me Amethyst, I didn’t want any of this to turn out this way…” Her voice breaks, along with Amethyst’s fake heart.

 

  “Shit P…” She gets up to encircle the alabaster gem with her arms, as Pearl dissolves into a bundle of sniffles.

 

  “But I don’t want this. How we are n-now… the fighting, the screaming, the yelling, I can’t… I can’t stand any of it anymore…”

 

  She melts, because for a moment, it’s just like the picture in her head.

 

  “I wonder what Rose would think of us.”

 

  And there it fucking is.

 

  Fucking Rose just had to take everything away with her, when she died didn’t she?

 

 

  “I know, P.” She stares at the floor, hoping she had known it would have ended so soon.

 

  But nothing good ever stays...

 

  “We… we can’t fight anymore… not in front of Connie… not in front of Garnet… I just need to know, that we can become better than this… at least, for Connie’s sake. Because I don't want to see her hurt like that again because of us. Ever again.”

 

  She needs to get out of here-

 

  “Can we at least try?”

 

   _Just fucking say it. Just fucking say it. You’ve got nothing to lose (except everything) so why not just up and say it. Fucking say it you god-damn pussy-_

 

  “For Connie?”

 

  “For Connie.”

 

  She’ll wait it out. Maybe this time, when it wears off, she can finally get over her stupid crush.

 

_Bawk bawk bawk,_ she tells herself, as she opens the temple door, running away.

 

  From her own fucking room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up: Monster Buddies. More lighthearted. Probably. 
> 
> Interludes feature Gem POVS, deviating from the Connie-centered POV in normal chapters.


	8. Monster Buddies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connie accidentally releases a monster from a gem bubble and attempts to learn more about her.

  “So Steven,” the half-gem nuzzles the phone to her ear, “have you read anymore Unfamiliar Familiar?”

 

  “Yeah, but I’m-”

 

  A squeal keeps Steven from finishing. “Isn’t it amazing? How far did you get?”

 

  Steven smiles. Even when on the phone, he can tell whenever Connie gets all excited. “I'm in the middle of one of them but, I'm really confused... They keep talking about this Plinkman guy who died... Am I supposed to know who he is?”

 

  Connie narrows, pursing her lips at Steven’s words. “Plinkman... but that's Lisa's dad... Steven? You're reading them in order, right?”

 

  “There's an order? Aww man, I just started with the one with the coolest cover.” He chuckles lightly to himself, though feeling statedly awkward when there isn’t any response on the other line. “Hello? Connie?”

 

  Her grasp having slackened, the half-gem’s phone falls to the floor, landing with a hard thunk. Staring off into space, her eyes dilate from the cocktail of frustration and amazement she suddenly finds herself drowning in.

 

  Distancing herself from her desktop, she decides that going outside to get some fresh air would be nice. Only she ends up tripping herself over one of Amethyst’s things the violet gem neglected (as always) to pick up. Making an exclamation of surprise, she finds herself caught by Garnet’s secure embrace, having arrived just in time to keep her from falling.

 

  “Good afternoon to you Connie.”

 

  Connie sighs in relief, giggling softly. “N-not that I’m complaining, but I find it strangely lucky how you’re always there at exactly the right time whenever you’re needed. Well, almost always.”

 

  Garnet grins, adjusting her visor. “Luck’s got nothing to do with it.”

 

  She raises an eyebrow, picking herself back up on her feet to escape the restrictive hold.“I… I figured.”

 

  There isn’t any change in the gem’s expression. “Oh?”

 

  “I’ve been thinking… how you always know where to be. At first, I thought it was because you were just _that_ cool, but it’s… unnatural, amazing, insane dare I say it, as to how you’re almost always there at the exact time whenever you’re needed.”

 

  “And why do you think that is?” She asks, inviting the half-gem to reveal her conclusions.

 

  “All of my thinking has left me with one possible hypothesis, given the type of lives we lead. **Magic**.” She gestures, stars in her eyes.

 

  The gem purses her lips. “Hmm… you’re not wrong.”

 

  She raises an eyebrow. “But am I right?”

 

  Garnet ignores the question, and holds off the inquiry by picking up the dropped phone, and handing it back to the half-gem, who discovers the call had been cut off, and quickly messages him an apology, before returning her attention back to Garnet.

 

  “Well?”

 

  “I… suppose you’re ready to handle this information.”

 

  “Yes!” She squeals, before clearing her throat. “... I mean, _yes_.” Correcting her tone, she does her best to project the image of maturity to the tall gem, kneeling against her chair. “Well?” She asks, in anticipation.

 

  A brief pause. It’s one of the few times where Garnet looks unsure about something. “Well...I guess you could say that I have a sort of... **_-future vision-_ **.” Her visor gleams, for the briefest of seconds with her reveal. Her visor gleams, for the briefest of seconds with her reveal. In its reflection, a starry eyed and drooling Connie. “I'm able to see possible outcomes to most situations, which comes in handy since you seem to find danger, wherever you go.”

 

  The half-gem’s expression changes into a pout, complete with sticking her tongue out. “Hey, most of it isn’t my fault!”

 

  “Like that time you released the gem shards on the town with Steven, and nearly caused it to be overrun by sentient pieces of rogue clothing.” Garnet retorts.

 

  She groans. “You weren’t there! You don’t have the context, everything could have gone great, but the timing was just wrong!”

 

  The tall gem remains silent, yet smiling, only moving her hand to lightly boop the half-gem’s nose, provoking an undesired, but silly giggle.

 

  “So… you can see the future?”

 

  Garnet pauses, before continuing. “No one can see the future. I can see options and trajectories. Time is like a river that splits into creeks or pools into lakes or careens down waterfalls.” Her visor sparkles as she adjusts her headgear once more. “I have the map, and I steer the ship.”

 

oOoOo

 

  Clinging to the frozen wall of ice behind her, the Ice Monster flows while she moves, in spite of her bulky shape, escaping Garnet’s blows with ease. The gems have ensured that the Ice Monster remains a safe ways away from the half-gem, who’s stands behind, rapidly firing arrows one after another, partly to help, really as target practice. Though her aim is largely off, it matters little; whenever she hits, the steel bolts, despite being reinforced with magic, have no effect on the thick, frozen armor.  

 

  Their mission this time, was to acquire some artifact named the Shooting Star. The warp pad had taken them to the midst of the Himalayas, their search drawing them into conflict with what was undeniably another gem monster. Bipedal, a spiky body shaped like a flame, sized just larger than Garnet, dark gaping holes where the eyes and mouth were supposed to be, the latter lined with sharp teeth. And a body and armor of Ice, hence the title, Ice Monster.

 

  Though the monster proves to be surprisingly nimble, she eventually missteps, allowing Garnet to land a solid blow, and send her hurtling into the wall, leaving an imprint in the shape of her figure.

 

   “Alright everyone!” Garnet rallies, having finally backed the monster into a corner.

 

  “One more attack should do it.” Pearl affirms, brandishing her spear.

 

  It’s when an icicle falls atop the Ice Monster’s right arm, cutting it clean off, is when Connie realizes-

 

  “Guys!” The half-gem tries to get their attention. “The cavern’s unstable!”

 

  Garnet charges, pummeling her arm into the Ice Monster’s forehead with as hard of a blow she can impact on the monster, finally landing a hit that chips the armor. Following this more-than-superficial wound, the cracks begin to spread like a scourge, the armor begins to rapidly break down, the body crumbling like ice until-

 

   _-Poof-_

 

  In a blink of an eye, Pearl dashes over to bubble the dropped gem before it even has the slightest possibility to reform, sending her off back to the temple. “Now there’s nothing left between us and the shooting star.”

 

  The cavern quakes, rumbling violently, as if to voice a challenge to Pearl’s statement.

 

  “This job is really dangerous!” Amethyst voices, as a small avalanche begins to surround her with unwanted ice, slowly growing to unmanageable amounts. “ Whoaa, Jeeezzz. Whu-Whoa, MAMA!” Before long, the violet gem has been buried under a pile of ice.

 

  “Amethyst!” Connie panics, rushing over. “D-don’t worry, I’ll get you out!”

 

  Underneath the pile, the violet gem voices something unintelligible as the half-gem begins futilely tearing through the ice, her bare fingers beginning to blister from the sheer cold.

 

  She hears the violet gem’s faint mumbling turning into a groan. A bright glow shines through the ice, and the half-gem finds herself sent flying as Purple Puma bursts through her frozen prison.

 

  “We’ve got to get Connie out of here!” She hears Pearl voice.

 

  When she lands, it is soft, having been cushioned by snow, though she still groans from a lasting vertigo. When she comes to, she finds herself confronted with Garnet’s figure, standing over her.

 

  “I’m sending you back to the temple.” Garnet states, much to Connie’s disappointment.

 

  She huffs, ready for an argument. “Garnet, I can take care-”

 

  “You can’t this time. You’ll have to trust me.” Her visor sparkles.

 

  The half-gem grouses, until she realizes what the gem is referring to. “Oh! U-understood m’am!”

 

  And suddenly, she finds herself encapsulated within a red bubble; safe, secured, and insulated from the cavern collapsing around them, and to a larger extent, the outside world.

 

  “Whoa! You... can bubble me?” She asks in wonder, to which Garnet nods.

 

  She briefly catches Pearl’s protests over the hastily made up plan for but a second before the tall gem sends her back-!

 

xxx

 

  Endlessly warping. Mindlessly recreating. The half-gem feels her body painlessly warped and distorted as her bubble is teleported straight back to the temple. In function, it is highly similar to warping, but in terms of sensation, feels nothing like it. For example, in warping, the process can take place without any intruding sensation during the process. Being bubbled henceforth, is more similar to Lion’s portals, specifically the part where one felt they were being torn apart by hyperspeed.

 

  “Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!”

 

  The ride ends, when she feels a particular emotion on repeat in her mind; a cocktail of immeasurable safety and nostalgia. The feeling one gets when they’ve arrived _home._ Sounded with a loud and violent **_-pop-!_ **

 

  Her body reforms its natural state, and she finds herself suddenly warped back inside the temple. Specifically, The Burning Room. Not named Burning to refer to its physical state, but for one of its purposes; to destroy cursed objects with the central lava pit. Though it does burn in appearance, red and pink being the dominant colors.

 

  “Huh…” She breathes, irregularly, recovering from her ride, “I’m… back inside the temple…”

 

  The second purpose of The Burning Room, is to house all the bubbled gems and objects the gems have captured over the endless millennia, to store them safely in a location where they can’t harm humanity.

 

  Her eyes rest on the Ice Monster’s bubble, safely contained and floating peaceably right next to her.

 

  “Haven’t been in here in a while… wonder if there’s anything new...” Inspecting her surroundings, she fails to notice any changes, save for the increased bubble population.

 

  And the third, untold purpose of The Burning Room, is to provide a _home_. A refuge where the corrupted gems no longer have to wander mindlessly in pain anymore, possibly endangering organic lives.

 

  At least, until they can find a cure.

 

   _If_ they can ever find a cure...

 

  A melancholy sigh escapes from her lips. Her fingers lightly ghost the surface of the bubble encapsulating her; she observes it to be plasmic-solid, much like the bubbles she herself creates.

 

  “That means I can…” Pressing into the plasmic-solid surface, she pierces the surface with her fingers, and pulls them apart, creating a hole that would be big enough for her to escape from.

 

  At least, that was how it was supposed to work in theory. Instead, she ends up popping the entire bubble, and she falls, where she will inevitably land on the hard surface of the floor below.

 

 Only to instead land atop another bubble. “Huh?” She chuckles, intensely relieved she wouldn’t have another fall to recover from-

 

  Instead, _that_ bubble pops too. _Then_ she lands.

 

  “Ow… come on…” Laying aground like a dead fish, she decides that she’ll accept her defeat, and lay there until the gems come back, until her gem detects a burst of magical prana from in the room. Turning her head towards the source, she discovers that the bubble had been holding a green gemstone, one that is now reforming and-!

 

  “Oh no! No no no!”

 

  For a second, the form of light it takes upon itself is bipedal, humanoid, only to distort, and mutate into a familiar form; twenty-six legs, body split into thirteen segments, a head composed of a familiar set of mandibles with the gemstone acting for three functions; as the eye, as the mouth, and as the core.

 

  “Centipeetle!?”

 

  The gem-mutated arthropod’s eye locks onto her form, causing her to jump, and the monster to shriek, spitting hot acid at her and missing.

 

  “Not-my-day-not-my-day-not-my-day!” She scrambles towards the exit, stopping half-way to take a quick look. What she glimpses though is enough to intrigue her, witnessing the Centipeetle’s body changing forms again.

 

  Only this time, it’s body shrinks. And shrinks. And shrinks, into pet-like size, until her body is reduced from thirteen segments to two, and she’s reduced to all fours. She growls, her emotions still unfathomable until… she starts shaking. And quivering.

 

   Connie instinctively lets down her guard,“Huh? You’re… you’re scared?”

 

  _‘But what if she’s faking it, so she can catch you off-guard!?’_ She asks herself. _“That’s a tactic used by animals right? What if the gem monster is just adapting to new conditions, because of her reduced size!? But… does earth biology really apply to gem monsters? Seeing they’re from outer space… But gem monsters sometimes possess anatomy resemblance to organic life meaning…’_

 

  The sounds of Centipeetle shrieking and Pearl squawking “CONNIE! Get away from that thing!” comes just in time to inform her that once again; she overthought it.

 

  Having completed their fast return back to the temple, the gems move to separate her from the centipeetle, Garnet physically blocking the two of them off with her body.

 

  “G-Garnet, wait-”

 

  “This was a terrible idea!” Pearl rushes up to her side, carefully checking her body for any wounds or injuries of any kind. “And she’s even managed to pop a bubble, and let out that awful... thing!”  She directs at the gem monster, who hisses in response.   


  
  Garnet’s gauntlet charges with unfathomable power, ready to poof the centipeetle and return her to her bubble. The gem monster will have none of that, but is in no position to do anything in resistance, save for futilely backing herself up against the wall.

 

  Pearl continues fussing, her tone having turned decidedly into anger. “If that thing hurt you, so help me I’ll-”

 

  She decides not to listen, and runs in front of the Centipeetle. This time, she’s the one using her body as a physical barrier. “Garnet, don't hurt it! I accidentally let it out of its bubble, b-but she hasn’t done anything to hurt me!”

 

  “Yet.”

 

  “N-no, she, she’s just scared… and confused, and she doesn’t know what’s going on… you, you yourself said that gem monsters were once gems like you! Please, I don’t know what’s wrong with her, but I want to help!”

 

  “Do you really think you’ll be able to understand corruption, something _we_ haven’t ever been able to understand after millennia after millennia of contemplating our options?” Pearl asks, frustrated partly at her, partly at herself.

 

  “No… but I have to see for myself. I… I can’t stand seeing all these corrupted gems just lying there… without understanding _why_ they’re there. Just let me try Garnet.” She begs, turning her attention to the tall gem. “Please?”

 

  A horrifically long pause, broken only by the crackling of Centipeetle’s acid slowly dissolving the stone foundation.

 

  “...Connie.” Garnet’s made her final verdict. “I think... you should try and tame her.”

 

  The half-gem’s eyes turn into stars.

 

  “Excuse me!?” Pearl squawks. “You can’t be serious!”

 

  “You’ve grown up enough that you’re more than capable at taking care of yourself. I trust you Connie.”

 

  The half-gem runs over to embrace her, who receives it in kind. “Garnet… thank you soo much…”

 

  Pearl makes a sound that indicates a begrudging disapproval.

 

  Amethyst grins at Pearl. “Shut down by the G-squad, were you?”

 

  The pale gem makes an unreadable noise at the back of her throat before taking her leave. “I’m not in the mood, Amethyst.”

 

  Amethyst sighs. “Figures…”

 

oOoOo

 

  At Pearl’s insistence, they spent around a half-hour to at least make precautions. Specifically, they relocated the Centipeetle to the beach, where she couldn’t pop any other bubbles, or dissolve furniture with her crossfire, whilst chaining her to a rock so she couldn't break out and wander freely.

 

  The half-gem observes her captive with patient eyes, but only discovers that she doesn’t like the idea of Centipeetle (she had decided to use it as a more formal name, for now) being her captive.

 

  Struggling against her bindings, Centipeetle manages to snap one of the chain-links through pure, desperate strength alone. Leading to the sounds of weapons being readied from her captors.

 

  Connie clears her throat. “Maybe this will work if she isn’t feeling surrounded by several armed gems?” She tepidly suggests, avoiding Pearl’s gaze.

 

  “Absolutely not-!” Pearl protests, before Garnet steps in.

 

  “Connie can handle it.” She declares.

 

  “Garnet!?”

 

  “Pearl?” Garnet lightly scolds, starting back towards the house, leaving a disgruntled Pearl behind to follow.

 

  Amethyst joins them, throwing her arms behind her neck, mouthing something unreadable. Leaving the half-gem behind with her newfound responsibility.

 

  “Okay… It’s just us now!” She says, trying to perk herself up to distract from the fact she doesn’t really have much of a plan. (Or, any plan.) But hey, some of her best moments so far have all been planless, so what could possibly go wrong now?

 

  The Centipeetle breaks out of her chains, still in a panic, though she seems to start calming as she realizes they’re alone. Her eye focuses on Connie’s figure, warm and inviting, and the half-gem flashes her a calming smile.

 

  “It’s… it’s working!” She realizes, now having to suppress the urge to become over excited, as she usually does. “Calm. Calm. Calm.” She repeats, in reassurance to both her and herself. Centipeetle’s hair noticeably softens with each repeat, so it must be working.

 

  Kneeling down so she’s more eye-level with Centipeetle, she holding out her hand in invitation, gesturing her over. “Come here… I know you’re scared, but none of it is your fault. The gems…” Her voice lowers, “they told me about what happened to you. About the gem war, about the Diamonds-”

 

  Centipeetle hisses harshly at mention of the word, acid spilling out of her maw and dissolving the sand beneath.

 

  Connie holds her hands up in apology. “Whoa! Didn’t mean any offense! Off-limits, huh?” She nervously laughs, trying to ease the tension. Centipeetle lowly growls in response, slowly relenting over time.

 

  “I’m sorry… I didn’t know it was a sensitive topic for you.” For a brief moment, she wonders if it’s the same way with the gems, who she realizes always seem distant when elaborating on the topic of Homeworld. “Do you… do you even understand what I’m saying?”

 

  Centipeetle answers by nodding, and the half-gem cautiously reaches out for her by running her fingers through her tuft of hair, which, despite her monster label, is just as soft and silken to touch as Pearl’s, though still mangy and wild like Amethyst’s.

 

  “You’re not a monster anymore…” She softly says, “no matter what happened in the past. No matter what anyone else says. You’re free now, and we’re free to make whole new memories together. I know we might not be able to undo what the Diamonds did to you…” She pulls her in for a hug, to which Centipeetle seems warmly receptive to, one of her legs holding onto the half-gem’s shoulders for support, “but I want to be there for you. No matter what. So please? You wanna try being friends?”

 

  There remains a silence on the beach, broken only by the salty ocean breeze, and the gentle, soft sounds of a Centipeetle purring.

 

  In the distance, from Beach House, the Gems watch.

 

  “Rose would have been so proud of her.” Garnet admits.

 

oOoOo

 

  “But we have to go back for the shooting star!” Pearl voices, arms on the kitchentop counter, to deaf ears.

 

  “Connie and the Centipeetle takes priority first.” Garnet states.

 

  “Yes, but after we have this all wrapped up, then I’d like-” her line of thought comes to a close when the front door opens, revealing the return of the half-gem and her gem monster.

 

  “Hey guys!”

 

  “Connie.” Garnet greets.

 

  “How’s the monster training going?” Amethyst asks,  mildly disinterested as always. “You burned any limbs off yet?”

 

  “Nope! Anyways, I came here because I needed to ask you guys something…”

 

  “What is it Connie?” Garnet asks.

 

  She clears her throat. “I was thinking on how to heal Centipeetle, and all the other gem monsters, and Pearl was right when she said I wouldn’t be able to find a way to heal her. But then I came up with another idea...Garnet… do you think Rose’s Fountain would heal her?”

 

  “We are not throwing the Centipeetle into Rose’s fountain!” Pearl voices, “who knows what the corruption might do to the water!?”

 

  “But Centipeetle’s my friend!” She protests.

 

  Pushing her shades up, Garnet enters the fray to act the balance. “Connie... You’ve done a great job trying to help the Centipeetle. Your mother would be so proud.”

 

  “She… she would?”

 

  “The truth is, Rose Quartz had tried to use her powers to save these monsters too, but she was never able to heal them.”

 

  “Never? But if she couldn't do it…”

 

  “Who knows?” Pearl offers reassuringly, kneeling down to be more eye-level with her, “Maybe when you have better control of your powers, you might help Centipeetle, and the others in ways even your mother couldn't.”

 

oOoOo

 

  The bell chatters brightly to announce their presence as they enter.

 

  Sadie’s there to wave at her, though it takes her a few seconds to notice her companion. “Heya Connie-Whatisthat-!!!”

 

 Even Lars disengages with his phone to gawk at the half-gem’s arthropodic companion. Before returning to his phone. “Don’t break anything this time…” He grumbles, not wanting to clean anything up.

 

  Connie waves it off, with a newfound confidence  much like a school child excited to show off what they brought for show and tell. “Oh, don’t worry, she won’t.” She gestures to her. “Say hi Centipeetle.”

  Centipeetle lightly growls at the two of them, and Sadie cautiously, though admiringly waves back at her in response. “Hey there…”

 

  “Anyways,” Connie clears her throat, “now for the reason why we came here. One extra large bag of your…” She struggles to remember the specific treat Steven recommended on the phone, _(you’ve got to offer her a treat like a Poffin, it’s just like Pocket Monsters!)_ “finest Chaaaaps, please.”

 

  Lars tosses over a bag of the deep-fried snack, and Connie does the same with her money― only she’s wielding coins, and manages to pelt the poor cashiers with the legal tender.

 

  “Connie!” Lars scolds, while Sadie laughs.

 

  Connie laughs nervously alongside her. “Um… time-to-say-bye-Centipeetle!”

 

  Centipeetle obeys, by firing off a glob of acid over at the Soda Dispensers, causing carbonated sugary soft drinks to spill everywhere.

 

  She dashes out the door, Centipeetle in tow, the bell chattering cheerily in response to announce their stylish exit. “Send-the-tab-over-to-the-gems-bye!”

 

  Sadie laughs. It’s not a matter of costs, since The Crystal Gems always reimburse them for external costs related to Connie and Amethyst. Rather, it’s a matter of cleaning up which is on their minds.

 

  Sadie glances over to her groaning co-worker. “You’re cleaning this.”

 

 “Why!?”

 

oOoOo

 

  “Let’s hope Steven’s right about these…” She muses, safely back on the beach. She pops open the Chaaaaps bag in one fluid motion, and her fingers are quick to plunge in.

 

  Observing the greasy deep fried treat, she decides to have a taste of her own, and observes it to be crunchy, lightly salted, and just oily enough to remind her of Fry Bits.

 

  Her eyes go starry in approval. “These are great! You… want one?”

 

  Centipeetle nods in approval, and the half-gem holds out a Chaaaap, which quickly finds itself hungrily devoured.

 

  Connie grins in glee, tossing Centipeetle more Chaaaaps, who consumes them with gusto. “I have absolutely no idea how your anatomy works…” She comments on the fact that her eyeball is located where her throat should be, “but I’m soo glad we’re friends now!” Taking out another Chaaaap, she holds it out in front of Centipeetle, trying to see if she can lead her on.

 

  Only for the wind to suddenly pick up, and the held Chaaaap finds itself blown from her hand, straight into the Centipeetle’s hunger. It is devoured instantaneously.

 

  Suddenly excitable, she decides to toss out a handful of the Chaaaaps. Centipeetle excites right alongside her, running around to consume the sandy Chaaaaps.

 

  “This must be the, je ne sais quoi, Steven loves so much about the Pocket Monsters games…”

 

  ...Something’s stirring.

 

  Centipeetle growls, pausing their little Chaaaaps party.

 

  ...Something’s approaching.

 

  The half-gem frowns. “Do you… hear something?”

 

  It’s getting closer.

 

  Centipeetle hisses at the sky in affirmation.

 

  She turns to face the the target of her panic, only to come face to face with what she makes out to be a shooting star.

 

  Making contact with Earth, it implodes upon the beach, a ways down the coast, but close enough to stir up clouds of sand that sends the half-gem hacking and coughing in response.

 

  “C-centipeetle!”

 

  A hiss. In silent agreement, they move to inspect the crash site.

 

  When the crater comes into view, they discover that there is not one, but three impacts; within each crater a light green orb.

 

  “What… are those?”

 

  Protruding from each orb, are four cylindrical appendages, that reveal their function immediately; legs. What is especially strange about these extensions, is that they are not even connected to the main body, despite their purpose. She surmises they are connected through magic, but there is little magical presence powering them.

 

  In an attempt to ignore their visitors, they get up, and start their way past the half-gem and her friend.

 

  “Hey, wait!” She stops them, blocking them with her body. “W-what are you? And where are you going?” She asks.

 

  They answer her questions by tackling her to the sand, and jabbing at her with their appendages.

 

  It doesn’t seriously hurt her, but the spherical robots are just strong enough to be able to pin her down. “O-ow! What are you doing!?”

 

  A furious hiss, and one of the orbs finds itself taken out by a glob of acid, melting into teal-green remains. Centipeetle follows up by tackling one of the two remaining off of the half-gem’s person.

 

  “Centipeetle!” She makes a small grunt, throwing the second orb off her, and rushes over to help, kicking it a great distance away… only to end up sending it straight towards Beach House. It picks itself back up, and begins moving towards it’s true destination.

 

  “Not my best decision…” She groans, “come on!” She motions for Centipeetle to chase after it. They pass by the thrown orb as they do, observing it to be half-stuck in the sand. Picking it up and securing it at her sides, the half-gem receives a furious jabbing in her abdomen in response.

 

  Returning home, they find that the front door has been torn to shreds, the gems aren’t present, and she catches a glimpse of the warp pad activating, the third orb leaving them behind.   

 

  “Garnet!? Amethyst!? I found something!” No response.

 

  She’ll have to take things in her own hands before the chase turns cold.

 

  “Centipeetle. I have a plan.”

 

  Centipeetle growls in affirmation.

 

  Running to the warp pad, she turns to the orb in her grasp. “Take me to wherever you guys are going.” She orders, trying to look it in whatever it uses as a vision receptor.

 

  She receives further jabs in her abdomen as a response, but the sphere inadvertently obeys when it follows it’s programming, upon detecting it has reached a warp pad. Activating in a burst of light, they teleport straight into the warp stream, transported out of the temple.

 

  “Alright… just… stay calm…” She repeats to herself, having joined the third, all four of them now in commute through the stream. She tries to use her free hand to grab at the third orb, but finds it just slipping out of her grasp.

 

  Preoccupied with the third orb, she fails to notice when the fifth, sixth, and seventh orb join the warp stream, until it’s too late to stop the endless flow of reinforcements.

 

  “There… are… more of you!?” She realizes, swatting one of them off with her backhand, knocking it out to space. It is quickly replaced by three more.

 

  In retaliation, they begin tackling her, with enough force to give the average human skull a concussion. “Ow! Hey… stop it!” She protests, uselessly. Swarming her whole, they begin to consume her person entirely, and she struggles to even breathe against their combined strength. “Argh… help…”

 

  Her vision cuts off. The orbs are starting to push her out of the warp stream, and she can’t do anything about it, except-

 

  She hears a shriek. A hiss. A cry.

 

   _-Poof-_

 

  The sound is very familiar. She panics.

 

With a sudden burst of strength, she manages to throw the dogpile off, only to be greeted with the sight of Centipeetle’s gem, poofed and inactive.

 

  Cradling her gemstone in her arms, she stares. At both the stone, and the reflection in her sheen. “You… you were just trying to help… I… I shouldn’t have brought you with me…”

 

**_You did this._ **

 

She barely notices the renewed pricking at her person from more and more oncoming spheres as she continues to cradle Centipeetle’s gemstone. When she does notice, her eyebrows narrow.

 

  Her voice dissolves into a mess of incomprehensible screaming. She flails around, struggling against their vice grip, and for a brief moment, she gains the upper hand. One of the orbs jabs her straight in the eyes in response. She hisses, snatching the sphere out from her orbit, and squeezes, popping the orb like a water balloon, teal liquid bursting out and caking her person.

 

  She fails to take notice of the mess. She’s too preoccupied with smacking more orbs out of the warp stream, but for every two she knocks into out, three more join the stream. Eventually, their numbers overwhelm her again, swarming her person, now conspiring to now push _her_ out of the warp stream.

 

  “I won’t… let you…”

 

  Her ears pop. She realizes she’s lost, and in defeat, the sphericals have exiled her out into space.

 

  Trying to run back towards her warp stream, she finds gravity conspiring against her, and she ends up drifting endlessly outwards into the great, infinite void of space.

 

  Looking up, she observes dozens of warp streams active, each with untold numbers of spheres flowing through. Briefly wondering where they’re all going, she then realizes something; it’s freezing cold.

 

  She shivers uncontrollably, her body temperature having lowered several degrees from _intense_ cold. Or perhaps, from the lack of heat. Taking out Centipeetle’s gem, she huddles her close, in a futile attempt to conserve her body heat. “Centipeetle… I’m sorry… You were trying to help… and I had to drag you into my problems… now we’re going to die… tired… frozen… alone…”

 

  She sniffs. Her mucus freezes up.

 

  She laughs.

 

  Space.

 

**It’s cold.**

 

**And dark.**

 

**And empty.**

 

  Yet warm.

  

  “Take deep breaths. When you’re ready, tell me what happened to Centipeetle, and what you saw.”

 

  “H-huh!?” Eyes opening forcefully, she finds herself back in the safety of Garnet’s warm embrace, having fallen back into another warp stream.

 

  “Deep breaths.”

 

  She realizes she hasn’t been breathing, and gasps for air. “C...Centipeetle…”

 

  “It’s okay. You’re okay.” Turning to Centipeetle’s now dormant gemstone, Garnet bubbles it, and sends her back to the temple. “I’m sorry… I… I didn’t see anything… like this.”

 

  “Connie!” Pearl’s voice slowly catches up to them, followed by her person, Amethyst right behind her. “I… what happened to you!” She fusses, inspecting the teal goop thoroughly splattered onto the half-gem’s person, her voice beginning to rapid-fire. “What happened to Centipeetle! We... heard the Warp Pad activate, and Garnet said you two would be inside the stream, and…”

 

  “They poofed Centipeetle! And… and there were… these robot orb thingies! Dozens of them!” She tries to describe their shapes by gesturing, “and they were traveling through the warp stream… and… we… we have to do something!”

 

  Garnet nods. “We’ll follow them.”

 

  The warp stream ends, revealing the destination of said spheres; the Galaxy Warp, situated in the middle of the Atlantic. Chilly as the vision of space that lies above the ruins in perpetuity, the stone architecture lies in just as much disrepair as it’s warps, largely unchanged from their last visit.

 

  In fact, the site is largely unchanged since their last visit, so long ago. Save for the dozens of orbs swarming the central warp, like an insect hivemind claiming their prize.

 

  “What… what are those!? What are they doing to the Homeworld warp?!” Pearl asks, horrified.

 

  “Those are the things that attacked us!” Connie yells.

 

  “There's a million of them!” Amethyst bewilders. The sphericals show their true purpose; on each robotic, a hatch opens, revealing a small nozzle. Executing their function, they begin to spray  the Homeworld warp with a viscous, teal slop. The goop takes only mere seconds to harden, before drying up and dissolving upon exposure to the atmosphere. “They fixed it?!”

 

  “W-what does that mean?” The half-gem asks, both out of genuine curiosity, and a need to learn exactly who’s behind this.

 

  The alabaster gem tries to take the opportunity to show off more of her knowledge, only to realize; she’s absolutely dumbfounded, like the rest of them. “I… don’t know!”

 

  “What do you mean you don't know?!” The half gem demands, in want for answers.

 

  The Homeworld warp activates in the midst of their disarray, and everyone barely takes notice of the figure about to make contact. Connie still seething, Pearl in her signature panic mode, Amethyst freaking out right with her. Save for Garnet, who takes the initiative, sweeping all three of them off their feet in one arm. Summoning her gauntlet with her free hand, she throws themselves off the edge of the platform, before using one of the standing columns as a grip, planting her gauntlet firmly in the stone. Hanging off the edge, it proves stable enough to carry all four of them, whilst concealing their presence.

 

  The warp stream ends, revealing their visitor. Lime-green skin, dull yellow hair styled in triangular fashion. Possessing the same height as Pearl, but with a slightly curvier figure. Her eyes remain concealed by her visor, which also covers her gem; a lime-green triangle, inverted.

 

  More important Connie realizes, is that she doesn’t have any magical potential. Her gem can’t sense hers’. The gem doesn’t have any _presence_.

 

  “Who is that?” Pearl whispers.

 

  “No idea.” Garnet admits, careful not to break their cover.

 

  But most importantly, she notices how the spherical constructs halt, making way for her entry. As if  acknowledging the arrival of their owner.

 

  “Log date 3 1 2. This is Peridot, performing Earth hub maintenance check. Preparing to locate and manually reactivate Kindergar—”

 

  She’s the one responsible for Centipeetle.

 

 “Warp repair a success. 57 out of 79 flask robonoids deployed, accounted for.”

 

 Something inside her snaps. In a split second, she climbs back atop the platform in one fluid motion, and charges, sword falling into her hands.

 

  “Now to access the domestic warp.” The homeworld gem sets her screen away, reclaiming control over her fingers. Turning, she finds herself greeted by an unfamiliar life-form.

 

  “Huh?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you walked into the wrong fic peridot
> 
> I probably just extended arc one by 2 chapters with Peridot's entry, meaning 15 chapters for arc one. uggggghhh.
> 
> expect some amedot in the future. Be warned: I support all ships, but there are a particular few i favor. Without spoiling anything (though I'm not sure why you find my trash interesting,) this won't end in a bloody miserable love triangle, i can at least guarantee that much.
> 
> if you have any questions concerning relationships, shoot me a comment and i'll try to answer without spoilers


	9. Interlude: Stuck on Earth With You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peridot becomes a captive of the Crystal Gems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place from a general POV at the beginning, switches to Peri later.

  “How long is she gonna keep screaming!?” Amethyst contends, arms lazily rested atop the kitchentop counter. Despite their overall reluctance to do so, the gems have released Peridot for interrogation purposes, so they could learn as to why exactly Homeworld has become so interested in their former colony again.

  


  The order of events that transpired went like this; Peridot shrieking at the loss of her limb enhancers. A grand escape attempt consisting of Peridot breaking for the door, and making it through, only to fall off the patio and into the sand below. Nearly drowning in sand, requiring the help of the gems. More screaming and chasing and running around. Repeat.

  


  “Until she’s ready to talk.” She groans at Garnet’s answer, technically correct, but still unsatisfying.

  


  It’s been seven hours. Seven hours of Peridot screaming, kicking up sand, protesting her newfound exile onto Earth, and how disgusting the sand is. They had elected to wait indoors after the fifth hour or so, once she had realized that there was nothing of use to her outside the temple premises.

 

   As long as they’re able to keep watch over her, they’re fine with letting her temper tantrum proceed so she can eventually cool off.

  


  “At this rate, I’m just about ready to say never…” Amethyst sighs, still keeping watch on the green gem through the windowsill.

  


  “INSUFFERABLE HALF-FORMED TRAITOR MEGA-CLODS!!!”

  


  “Her insults are getting less creative… she’ll tire out and crack any minute now.” Pearl muses, biting her lips.

  


  “I’LL NEVER CRACK FOR THE LIKES OF YOU YOU… CRYSTAL CLODS! AAAAGAGAGAGAHHHH!!!”

  


  “Okay, how the heck can she hear us from that far?”

  


  “I AM POWERED BY RAGE!!!”

  


  Connie shows little interest in all of this. Centipeetle now lies still, bubbled and safely stored back inside the burning room, all three Crystal Gems voting against her reformation, at least until they could find some way of truly helping her.

  
  Leaving her alone in her loft, eyes firmly absorbed on the book she's filched from her bookshelves, that she’s probably not even reading.

  


oOoOo

  


  An unknown amount of time passes. She eventually realizes that just loudly vocalizing her opinion of the current situation won’t help her. She’s also tired of straining her vocal muscles. She needs to re-organize herself. Come up with a plan.

  


  The problem is, she doesn’t have _anything_. Her limb enhancers are gone, stolen by what are likely traitor gems, who have released her into this disgusting organic environment to inflict some kind of mental torture upon her. The only known warp pad nearby her location remains secured by her captor gems, and it’s highly improbable they’ll let her out of their sight anytime soon. And it’s not like she can mount an escape. Physically, she’s nothing without her limb enhancers, her vast technical knowledge and skills declawed without any access to her screen, her virtual database, or any form of technology whatsoever.

  


  In short, she’s stuck on this planet, with no way out but these likely **traitor** gems. She sighs.

  


   _‘Wait. Stop. Think,’_ she tells herself. She needs to be logical, rational about this. She can’t just blindly assume too much about them. They haven’t actually done anything to her yet, except allow her to roam the disgusting sand environment freely.

  


  She needs to talk. Learn more about her captors. Negotiate, if need be. Because she won’t be going anywhere like this.

  


oOoOo

  


  “Alright you clods,” She plants her limbs firmly on the primitive glass table, “ I have made up my mind. I have decided that we are now on speaking terms, but as long as you answer my questions first.”

  


  The traitor gems briefly glance at each other, in some form of unspoken communication. She takes note of the organic life-form's disappearance.

  


  “Very well.” The fusion confirms, moving the negotiations forward.

  


  She takes a deep breath. She needs to be calm about this. Diplomatic. Just like a Dia-

  


    **“What do you plan to do with me!? Harvest me!?”** She accusingly waggles her finger at the fusion.   


  “Harvesting and shattering are out of the question.” Her answer is quick, but firm. “But what we plan to do with you depends on who exactly you are, and how much you cooperate. Choose not to, and you’ll be stuck in a bubble for all eternity.”

  


  She narrows. “I… see.” Fair terms. Pursing her vocal flaps, she comes up with her next question. “Then I would like to ask another question...what exactly are you?”

  


  The Pearl speaks out of line. “We are the Crystal Gems. We’ve been alive all this time, and we’re still the guardians of this planet and all it’s living creatures.”

  


  She narrows. “Crystal… Gems?” She’s heard that name a few times, sometimes in a few obscured, unredacted reports. Sometimes thrown around in Quartz discussions her audio receptors overheard, but she’s never thought anything of it.

  


  The Pearl narrows. “You… don’t know who we are?”

  


  She shrugs.

  
  The fusion _touches_ her. “Pearl, they likely censored the rebellion.”

  


  She takes note of the word _rebellion_.

  


  The Pearl nods, before falling in line. This pleases her.

  


  “And that would mean you’re traitorous clods.” She concludes.

  


  They don’t deny it.

  


  “Now that we’ve answered some of your questions, you’ll have to answer some of ours.” The fusion speaks.

  


  She narrows, before relenting. It’s not like whatever information she reveals will change the fact that the rebels numerically appear to present no credible threat to Homeworld. And once she’s safely back, she can just inform her commander on exactly how the mission was compromised. “...Very well.”   


  The fusion isn’t one to take her, or others’ time it seems. “Why are you here? What exactly does Homeworld want with Earth?”

  


  She briefly hesitates to answer. “I… don’t know.”

  


  The fusion glares at her. Shrinking in posture, she moves her touch stumps to her visage connector, as if afraid of being throttled. Which she realizes the fusion could easily do. “What exactly do you mean you don’t know?”

  


  “I… I was just supposed to repair the Earth-Galaxy Warp as preparatory work for the assignment. Once that was complete, I was meant to return back, and receive the full briefing. That’s when you Crystal Clods showed up _TO ASSAULT ME!”_

  


  The Amethyst glares at her. “I don’t appreciate being a clod, you clo-”

  


  “What exactly do we do then!?” The Pearl bleats, panicking mindlessly. “How do we know if she’s telling the truth, for all we know, she could be a scouting party-”

  


  “I-I’m telling the truth! There-there’s nothing else I know!” She denies.

  


  They glare at her for what feels like an eternity, until the fusion speaks. It appears that the abomination is the leader of these rebels.

  


  “Do you at least have a guess as to why Homeworld was so interested in Earth again?” The fusion asks.

  


  “No. But since it was an order direct from my Diamond herself, it must have been important.”

  


  The Pearl and the fusion gasp, the latter silently.

  


  “The… Diamonds?” The Pearl, naturally, begins to quiver, and she feels the slightest of grins form on her person.

  


  “Yes. Yellow Diamond. When my command delegated the mission to me, they were just as shocked as I, a mere _Peridot_ , was honored with a mission, directly from the Diamonds-”

  


  “What could they possibly want from Earth again!? Are they attempting to recolonize the Earth?”

  


  She rolls her eyes. “Unlikely, from the resources diverted to us. Likely, it was just observation.

 

  “Observation of what!?” The Pearl panics. She grimaces at how defective this Pearl is.

  


  “As I said before, I don’t know. I never got the full briefing.” She makes sure an accusatory glance is firmly worn by her vision spheres. “And also, this is all just guesswork. I can’t extrapolate too much from what I knew.”

  


  “ _What_ resources?” The fusion asks.   

  


  “O-one warship,” she stammers out. “A-and an escort. Likely a quartz. That’s all I know.”

  


  They remain in a deathly silence for what seems like an entire cycle.

  


  “...There. I’ve told you everything I know, so why don’t you just… let me go already, and give me back my limb enhancers!?”

  


  The traitors all share unsettlingly tranquil glances at each other, before nodding in some sort of telepathic agreement. She deduces they’re likely old-model gems.

  


   As expected, the fusion is the one to speak.

  


  “Very well. These are your terms. You’re restricted to the premises of the temple, which will be marked by a fence. You’re forbidden from staying in Connie’s room for long periods of time. And you aren’t allowed to ever be out of the sight of a chaperone.” She turns her gaze to her fellow rebels. “Pearl, you’ll have to set up the fence again. Amethyst will help you.”

  


  The Amethyst balls up her touch stumps, and pumps it in the air. “Alright! Suggestion? Can we also add a moat? I could be…” Her physical form glows, until she alters the physicality to resemble some other repugnant organic form. “The crocodile! _Jazz hands._ ” She waggles her touch stumps in  what she guesses must be some sort of strange ritual.

  


  The Pearl lets out a disgusting sound. “You always say you’ll be the crocodile, but you never commit!”

  


  And in response, she groans, both from the undesired (but not unexpected) response, and the casual use of jargon she doesn’t understand. “You’re… just keeping me here!? Stuck on this rock!?”

  


  They return their attention back to her. “Yes.” The fusion answers. “If you don’t like it, we could just poof you-”

  


  “No! No!” She protests, all too quickly. Now that she thinks about it, this result was better than she expected. “Just… my limb enhancers?” She timidly asks.

  


  The fusion pauses. “Incapacitated. Most of them, anyways.”

  


  She gawks, horrified. “Incapacitated!?”

  


  The Amethyst chuckles. “May… have chucked your legs and one of your arms into the ocean.”

  


  She glares at her. “Great, add assault, and destruction of property to the list of crimes inflicted on my person…”

  


  The Pearl speaks _again_. “Garnet, is it really the best idea to keep Peridot conscious like this?”

  


  The fusion pauses. “We… may need her to provide further information on Homeworld. And with further time, she might just crack further.” Then, the fusion _touches_ her. “And besides, It’s what Rose, and Connie would have wanted.”

  


  The Pearl clears her vocal phone as if to speak, but falters.

  


  “So I just… stay here… on this rock, doing… nothing!? What am I supposed to do!? is that all supposed to mean!?” She demands, though knowing her fate is sealed.

  


  The fusion adjusts her headgear. “It means that you’re stuck here on Earth with us, whether you like it or not.”

  


oOoOo

  


  She observes, in her confinement to the sand environment, that organic coastlines are disgusting. The sand possessing a porous odor of decomposing minerals and microscopic organic life-forms, the waters stinking with the stench of aquatic organisms and some sort of chemical compound (she can’t remember the name, she needs her screen,) it is nothing what an actual coastline, carefully designed and cultivated under watchful, caring eyes, and kept under strict regulation, would look like.

  


  Still, it meets the physical qualifications to be considered a coastline (at least, she thinks it does,) so watching the tide lap against the sands proves to be relaxing.

  


  If smelly.

  


  So relaxing, that she almost doesn’t notice the Amethyst approaching from right behind her.

  


  “...What do you want?” She voices to the physically defective Amethyst.

  


  The Amethyst shrugs.

  


  Peridot remains silent, but allows the Amethyst to say her word.

  


  “It’s just boring, being on chaperone duty. Thought I’d at least try to talk to you.”

  


  “Apologies for not being entertaining.” She coldly replies, making sure to enunciate the last syllable clearly.

  


  “Well…” She starts, voice soft, “it was sorta funny just watching you sulk and mope on the beach, but now it’s all sad. And now it feels like your sadness is… ruining the beach. Beaches aren’t supposed to be sad, for the most part. They’re supposed to be calming, relaxing, happy, and help you relax.”

  


  “Well I’m sorry, but you’re not the one who just had her home, her role, her entire reason for being taken away from her.”

  


  The Amethyst snorts, and Peridot jumps at the unexpected sound. “At least you had a home.”

  


  She crinkles her sense sponge, and starts out of curiosity. “What do you mean?”

  


  “I’ve never really known home.” Amethyst admits, voice softer than they both expected it to be. “I mean, I do, but the others would rather pretend that it doesn’t exist.”

  


  “You... are referring to a Kindergarten right?”

  


  The violet gem remains silent, joining her in narrowing at the non-existent figure in the ocean.

  


  Eventually, the Amethyst speaks, startling her. “Listen, I didn’t come here to sulk and feel like shit with you.”

 

  “Then why did you come here?” She asks in suspicion.

  


  The Amethyst shrugs. “Partially because just watching over you is boring. Partially because I just want to get you to stop sulking.” She reveals a bag of primitive packaging, and hands it over to her.

  


  “What… is this?” She asks, fingers brushing over the crinkling wrapping.

  


  “It’s gummy candy. Food that I thought that someone as weird as you would like. Open it.”

  


  Observing the primitive plastic packaging, she finds her touch stumps moving on their own to break the container, and several malformed gelatins fall into her possession.. “What… am I supposed to do with these?”  


  “You eat it.”

  


  “Eat… it?” She asks, in muted horror.

  


  “You don’t know what eating is?”

  


  She stares at the solids in her palms, and internally groans. She’s heard of this primitive method of energy consumption before, but she never thought she would actually have to perform it…

  


  Anything to help gain the Amethyst’s trust, she supposes. Gulping, she tepidly places one of the acid-coated gelatins on her sense muscle.

  


  It dissolves in her mouth, and although she winces at the acidity, it isn’t an an entirely unpleasant sensation. In fact, the taste sensation is good. Sour, but good.

  


  The Amethyst clears her throat. “Oh, by the way, you’ll want to make sure your digestive system is working properly…”

  


   Moments later, the green gem would suffer her second panic attack since arriving on Earth.

 

 

oOoOo

  


  Seven cycles pass. She still doesn’t understand exactly why they haven’t just up and poofed her, since she’s failed to provide any information that could actually be of use. Instead, she’s the one asking the questions. She gets answers, for the most part.

  


  Relations between her and the Pearl, alongside the fusion remain non-existent.

  


  She detests the Pearl because she’s an uppity, defective gem who doesn’t know her place. The fusion, because she is a physical representation of waste. Two gems, who could easily perform their roles with peak efficiency, maximizing productivity, choosing willingly to remain fused, across roles, blending their functions so that neither of them truly excel in one. It baffles her.

  


  To say nothing of the fact that they’re different gems...

  


  What also doesn’t help, is the Pearl being always stuck-up and flat out boring and hostile. The fusion on the other hand is always stoic, infuriatingly so. Stoic, reactionless… it always makes her feel small, whenever she’s angry, and the fusion just doesn’t even feel.

  


  She also suspects her fellow rebels feel the same way about her as well.

  


  In contrast to all of this, is the Amethyst, who isn’t any of those things. That’s proves to be enough for her to find herself tolerating her presence, strangely.

  


  Still, she can’t forget her true purpose for attempting socializing with these rebels. Escape. She’s decided that her method will be by starship (since the Crystal Clods have kindly informed her that they vandalized/physically decommissioned the Galaxy Warp.)

  


  She already has the designs planned out, burned in her memory, naturally made for engineering, unlike the uppity Pearl. All she needs are the components, and she can assemble them almost instantaneously. But although Earth’s primitive technology serves able to suffice the design’s technological demands, it’s not as if the Crystal Clods will just out and let her reappropriate the humanoids’ possessions for her own personal use.

  


  Which is where Amethyst comes in. With her alotted personal space filled to the brim with scrap and clutter, it also functions as a source of starship materials. Befriending the Amethyst to gain access to such a space is the most efficient path towards escape off this disgusting rock.

  


  It also helps that the Amethyst is the easiest one to talk to out of all of them, the Pearl always out of line, the fusion just… ugh. In contrast the Amethyst is always friendly, and doesn’t know of the fact that it’s she who should be in charge of these degenerate rebels.

  


  But despite the ease which Amethyst lets her into her room with, she makes sure to proceed with the utmost care, taking only one item at a time (whenever she finds one, which is rare, in and of itself.) She estimates it will take around a hundred or so planetary cycles for the materials to be gathered.

  


  Although the rebels appear to be relaxing their guard around her, she still maintains an utmost caution. To have won a war (as they’ve told her,) these Crystal Clods surely must possess _some_ foresight.

  


  She knows her fate if she’s caught acting out of line; she’ll be put back in a bubble, alongside all the other defective gems in their storage room. For now, she’ll remain on her best behavior, until the time is right.

  


oOoOo

  


  Eight cycles into her visit to Earth, somebody new visits her confinement to the sand environment. The hybrid. The one that poofed her. The ‘Connie,’ as the rebels have termed her.

  


  “I’m your chaperone for today.” She speaks, coldly. “The gems are busy on some mission, and they‘ve asked me to watch over you for the day.”

  


  “As they would have it.” She murmurs, her focus preoccupied with what the Amethyst has termed a ‘sand castle.’ Feeling the granularity with her touch stumps, she can only think about how… wrong it feels. Sand isn’t supposed to be this smooth, this granular. It’s supposed to be rough and jagged, just enough so that it met the asthetic requirements. And so it just didn’t get everywhere, and just... stay on your physical form.

  


  The Connie occupies the space next to her, causing her to nervously shift away in response. Touch stumps still occupied by her sand mound, the two remain in awkward silence, the Connie preoccupied with some primitive screen-wavelength emitter device.

  


  Eventually she realizes she’s tired of poking at her 'sand castle,' and speaks. “What is that?” She asks, narrowing at the device, displaying some sort of audio-motion picture of the sort.

  


  The Connie raises an eyebrow, but says nothing.

  


  She groans, dragging her touch stumps across her visage, only to recoil from the sand she forgot caked onto them. “Why must you Earthlings be so difficult…”

  


  Her attention returns to her primitive screen-wavelength emitter device, but her eyes motion for her to continue.

  


  “I have been informed… by your caretakers, about your… Centipeetle. I… did not intend for my robonoids to assault you and your companion, I assure you-”

  


  “I know.” The Connie murmurs quietly.

  


  She staggers. “You… do? Then why do you continue to act in such a manner-”

  


  “I don’t want to. I can’t hate you.” The Connie admits, sighing. “It’s hard for me to stay mad at you, when I think about it.”

  


  “Your robonoids were just following programming, and it’s not like a different Peridot would have done anything differently. After all, that’s just how Homeworld is supposed to work, isn’t it?”

  


  She narrows. For the first time in her existence, Peridot feels… insulted.

  


  But she can’t say that she completely incorrect. Or mostly incorrect. She can’t quantify how incorrect she is, actually. Or why she's insulted.

  


  “I don’t regret capturing you. But that doesn’t mean I have to hate you just because you’re stuck here. And truthfully, I don’t want to. Especially because it’s my fault that you’re here.”

  


  She narrows at the hybrid’s unclear language. “So… what does that mean?” She asks cautiously.

  


  “It means… that I’d like to start over.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> had to take a break, with family (bad) coming into my life temporarily, and school starting up again, i needed a break. Arc 1 will likely be 15 chapters, with interludes in between chapters, focusing in on the gems' relationships.


	10. Alone Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven tries to help Connie with her fusion powers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fucking 50000 words of this trash are you kidding me

 The outdoors is afflicted with an endless grey, marking the arrival of a storm, blanketing Beach City with a thick, but manageable rain. The half-gem doesn’t feel like getting wet today, so she’s opted to remain indoors, seated on the couch with her bowl o’ popcorn nestled in her lap, rewatching her favorite Tubetube videos, reminiscing of times now gone.

 

  Which scares her. She’s supposed to be thirteen.

 

  “It’s happening!”

 

  She’s been around her long enough to know who that is. Shaken from her line of thought, she instinctively jerks her head back around to look at the source of the alarm. Falling from the loft above is Peridot, who manages to land on all fours, before scampering towards her new host.

 

  The gems, having left on a mission, appointed Connie to be in charge of the entire temple, a mostly nominal position. The duty of watching over Peridot however, was one that was assigned seriously.

 

  “What’s happening?” The half-gem asks, setting her bowl o’ popcorn down to stand.

 

  “I don’t know!” Peridot admits. “Your organic atmosphere is… is doing organic things, and it’s…” She tries to illustrate whatever she’s seen with her hand gestures, but ends up looking like she’s having a seizure attack. “I don’t know what it’s doing, but it’s making that horrible sound! AARRAGH!”

 

  The half-gem raises an eyebrow. The green gem buries her face in her shoulder, and begins to whimper in fear. Tuning her out, the half-gem focuses her ears to the environment outside to see if anything’s wrong-

 

  Only to be answered by a loud crash of thunder, which makes Peridot jump again.

 

  “...Oh!” She realizes, trying to keep from smiling, and failing. “That’s just thunder.”

 

  The green gem looks up at her, dumbfounded. “What?”

 

  She stifles a laugh, and rolls her eyes. “It’s just thunder. You… you don’t know about thunder?” She asks, suddenly remembering that Homeworld likely approaches this particular facet of planetary ecosystems… differently. Wondering if Peridot has ever experienced weather variation before.

 

  “...I don’t know anything without my screen.” The green gem admits reluctantly, humbling herself.

 

  The half-gem snickers, hitting pause on the cast. “Let me explain. First let's begin with the oceans outside. You do at least remember that liquid evaporates into vapor when it reaches a certain temperature right?”

 

 The green gem hesitates, before nodding vigorously.

 

  “You see, the water vapor is stored in the atmosphere, taking form as clouds. Like…” She tries to come up with words to describe clouds, but then figures that a picture will do more than all the imagery she can conjure up. Whipping out her phone, the half-gem produces the first image from The Googol. “Here.”

 

  The green gem narrows at the image, as if trying to study it. “What a strange form…”

 

  “And when the water vapor condenses, it falls to the Earth below. But sometimes, these clouds become electrically charged, and they discharge an electric plasma material into the atmosphere below, called lightning. The sound of thunder, is what results from this discharge.”

 

 Peridot sighs, rubbing at her visor. “You see on our systems, we regulate our atmospheric climate…” She grumbles. “Why does the electrical charge occur?”

 

  She isn’t that quick this time to open her mouth. “That’s a bit more complicated, and I’m not the best at teaching. You’ll have to go to Pearl for that one.”

 

  Another groan escapes the green gem’s lips. “Go to Earth they said… it’ll be easy they said…”

 

  She finds her eyes rolling on instinct. “Rain itself isn't harmful,” she explains, “just as long as there’s not too much of it. Here,” she starts towards the doorway, Peridot in tow, “why don’t I just show you?”

 

  Parting the thin screen separating them from the outside world, the Earthling steps aside for the Homeworld gem, though both remain hesitant to go out, for different reasons.

 

  “Why aren’t you going out?” The green gem asks in suspicion.

 

  She shrugs. “Because I don’t want to get wet.” Extending her bare arm into the torrent, she allows the Homeworld Gem to witness the water droplets condensing on her skin, who scrutinizes the natural phenomenon as much as time will allow her. Experimentally, she drags a finger across the soaked skin, wincing at the feeling of ‘wet.’

 

  Her green arm is caught in the rain, and she observes the sensation to be cold and prickly, but not unpleasant as she expected to be. The condensed vapor is gently brushing against her physical form leaving her feeling… wet. Staring dreamily at the grey clouds above, she comes to realize...

 

  That it isn’t bad.

 

oOoOo

 

  “These rules make no sense!” Pearl squawks, setting down her Citchen Calamity card.

 

  “Pearl…” The half-gem murrs softly, “you said that last time!”

 

  “I’m beginning to become scared at how much I find myself agreeing with the Pearl…” Peridot interjects, “I also have failed to understand the objective of ‘fun,’ that the Connie posited would be the end result of these primitive Earth symbols.”

 

  “Just because an arbitrary amount of time has taken place in between games, does not mean the rules have suddenly started to make sense.” Pearl sighs, setting down her card and moving her piece the correct number of spaces.

 

  Amethyst raises her hand, but is quickly shot down by Pearl.

 

  “And we are not doing your ‘house rules,’ Amethyst, they just serve to make this game even more confusing!”

 

  The purple gem brushes her hair from her eyes. “Not what I was going for but if you’re going to be whiny and all, whatever…” She mutters lowly.

 

  Connie sighs. She had hoped family game night might help everyone get along better with each other like in the books, but for that to happen, what’s required is something… more.

 

  “Garnet, your turn.” Connie admits.

 

  Garnet nods at Connie’s bequest, and draws a card. “I’m now the owner of the Golden Can Opener.” She produces this all in monotone, “yesssss.”

 

  Everyone finds themselves suddenly laughing, save for Garnet, and the Homeworld gem, who slams her arms on the table, knocking over and causing all the game pieces to go astray. “Alright, I’m at my limit!”

 

  Garnet addresses her, though showing no visible change in posture, or readability. “What is it Peridot?”

 

  “Explain it to me fusion!”

 

  Everyone goes silent at the utterance of the last word.

 

  “I can at least understand your rationale for keeping me imprisoned on this rock. I can, with a great many leaps in logic, understand why a Pearl might want to act so out of her place as she’s doing right now! But you?” She waggles an accusing finger at Garnet, “you’re just… there… fused… without a functional purpose!”

 

  Garnet decides to parley, if just a little. “So?”

 

  “So!? You… you’re… just doing nothing! It’s wretched!”

 

  Connie speaks up. “What is Peridot talking about?”

  

  Pearl places her hand on Connie’s shoulder, though it’s obvious she’s grating. “Peridot-”

 

  “Isn't it obvious?” Peridot continues, oblivious to the mood she’s created, “She’s a fusion!”

 

  A cold silence is what follows. Peridot seems to be aware of this, and begins to agitate visibly in the pregnant pause.

 

  Garnet, after what seems like an hour, adjusts her visor before standing up. Everyone takes notice. “Peridot.” Her voice is calm, yet steely. “Leave.”

 

  The green gem shrinks several sizes. “B-but-”

 

  “Now.”

 

   She’s all too quick to nod. The green gem acquiesces by tripping over her panic and ends up scampering off on all fours outside.

 

  “Watch her.” Garnet directs to the remaining gems.

 

  Pearl and Amethyst nod in an unaware unison. “On it.” The two gems follow after Peridot, leaving the half-gem and the fusion alone, together.

 

  They sit in yet another uncomfortable silence. Uncomfortable for the half-gem at least. The supposed fusion continues to be as unreadable as ever. So she supposes she’ll have to make the first step forward, as typical in these Garnet-esque situations.   

 

  “...So…” she starts meekly, “...you are one.”

 

  Garnet smiles. “And so you knew.”

 

  She’s quick to nod. “It… was an educated guess, and I figured you had your reasons for keeping this from me-”

 

  Garnet smiles. “We were planning for your birthday.”

 

  She smiles. “Thanks for planning ahead.”

 

  Another uncomfortable pause, led by Garnet, who seems to be content with letting the half-gem continue the interrogative.

 

  “So…” She starts again, “what are you?”

 

  Garnet purses her lips. “That’s your question? I’m Garnet. That’s who I’ve always been.”

 

  “No, no… as in, who are you made of?”

 

  “I…” Garnet stalls, “am made up of my experiences. My experiences with you, with Pearl, with Amethyst-”

 

  The half-gem shoots her an accusatory look. Garnet sighs, and for the first time in what must be forever, Garnet looks… a bit off.

 

  “Ruby and Sapphire.” She holds out her hands, revealing the two differing gemstones in each. “They deeply care about you, just as much as I do.”

 

  She feels like she should be excited, but the heavy weight in the air sustains itself, choking the mood. “So… why did Peridot… react like that?”

 

  Garnet sighs. “I suppose you’re old enough to know.”

 

  “On homeworld, gems of different types aren’t allowed to touch each other, let alone fuse with each other. And it isn’t just taught to us. When gems are formed, when gems are made… they hard-wired as much coding into our minds as they possibly could. Peridot… I don’t expect her to understand.”

 

  She nods. “How did you become… well… you?”

 

  Playfully, the fusion pokes her nose. “You mean the story of how Ruby and Sapphire? That’s a story for another time.”

 

  She squints at the fusion, stifling a groan. “So… what about Ruby and Sapphire themselves? Can I meet them?”

 

  A smirk forms on the fusion’s face, just a little. “Not yet.”

 

  Connie nods. “I understand.”

 

  Garnet ruffles her hair. “No, not entirely. Not yet.”

 

oOoOo

 

  “What exactly is this… image?” Peridot asks, staring at the television in Connie’s loft.  Displayed on the screen, was a dramatically poor representation of Earth, in terms of graphical capabilities.

 

  “It’s Mineshafter. It’s a video game.” Steven elaborates, having brought over his Lastation console, alongside three controllers upon hearing that Connie was chaperoning Peridot again today. Grinning, the plucky musician tosses Peridot a controller to try and rope her into the game, who ignores the throw and lets it fly past her.

 

  Connie sighs. “I’ll go get it…”

 

  “What is this… video game?” Peridot demands, confused by the foreign terminology.

 

  Steven narrows. “It’s… a game, where you control the stuff on the screen.”

 

  She stares at him blankly, as Connie places the controller in her hands before sitting back down next to Steven after making sure Peridot at least has a firm grip on it. The green gem is all too slow to grasp it, but when she does, her grip is ridiculously excessive. “Okay…”

 

  “And there’s this person you play as, and you’re put into this world,”

 

  “You mean this poor representation of Earth?”

 

  He can’t really disagree with that statement. “Yes, and uh, you just… spend your time gathering resources.  And you can use them to make tools… which you can use to gather more resources. And you can use those resources to… do whatever you want!”

 

  “Whatever I want?”

 

  “Yeah! You can make a house… and uh, an even bigger house…”

 

  “Can I build a ship that will allow me to escape this planetary prison?”

 

  “On the PC, with mods.”

 

  “Mods?”

 

  Steven groans, before handing the spare controller over to Connie. Reminded of the counterpart in her hands, the green gem stares at her controller in utter confusion.

 

  “Is…” She points to the black controller, “this a weapon?”

 

  He shrugs. “Some people get really angry and throw them-”

 

  She recoils, dropping the weapon. “So it is!”

 

  Steven sighs. “Please don’t damage my stuff… Look, it’ll be much easier to explain if you’re holding the controller, and learning by experience…”

 

**_..._ **

 

  One hour later, the controller is jossed to the floor by a defeated green gem. “I refuse to continue.” Eliciting two dissapointed ‘awws,’ from her co-players.

 

  “Why!” He asks, “we really had so much going on in that world!”

 

  “Really?” Peridot asks, “We had something going? I remember you planted these flowers, alongside something called a cactus the Connie’s character lost her life to, you were blown up by an entity known as ‘Creeper,’ and I fell into a hole and drowned! That’s what we had going!”

 

  She grinds her feet against the floor to communicate her complete loss of patience. The floor below complies by creaking and groaning in protest, as if a fault line had decided to erupt right under Beach City.

 

  “Gyah! I’m sorry, I’m sorry-how do you make it stop!!!” Peridot panics, suddenly curling up in a ball in an attempt to make herself smaller.

 

  “T-that’s not you!” Connie answers, jumping off the loft and rushing outdoors, to the beach below. There to greet her, is Pearl.

 

  “Pearl!” She calls out. “What’s happening!”

 

  Pearl desperately motions to _get away_ , forcing the half-gem to abruptly stop in her tracks, kicking up sand. “Run towards the town! Now!”

 

  “B-but!”

 

  “Now!”

 

  Steven runs up from right behind her, panting. “W...what’s happening!?”

 

  Her eyes zero in on whatever Pearl’s watching out for. She ends up greeted with a familiar, yet unfamiliar sight, far off in the distance.

 

  “What is happening now you clods…” Peridot muses as she scrambles to catch up, Steven in tow, “...IS THAT ANOTHER FUSION!?”

 

  Steven glows, starry eyed.. _“Giant Woman.”_ He whispers.

 

  “Pearl! Is that a monster!?” Connie tries to get an answer from the pale gem, but gets no response.

 

  “Connie! Get out of here!” Pearl repeats.

 

  It’s of no use.  Even if Connie wasn’t stubborn enough to stay, the giant woman’s sheer size allows her to close the distance between the beach and the horizon in seconds, preventing any sort of escape.

 

  As the giant woman closes in, her size simply becomes all the more colossal. Four arms, lavender skin, and a stocky build contributes to the inherent feeling of inferiority Connie has whenever she tries to stare into her visor. Her mouth is twisted into some sort of twisted grin, her dark-purple hair is a wild, untamed mess.

 

  “I’M… BORED!” The giant woman’s uproars, voice threatening to tear apart Steven’s eardrums through vibrations alone.

 

  “Who is that!” Steven panics, covering his ears..

 

  “I don’t know!” Connie confesses.

 

  Pearl gulps. Audibly. “Y-you’re back!” The pale gem stutters, attempting to play off the current situation as normal.

 

  The giant woman points an accusing finger at the Crystal Gem. “YOU LEFT ME BEHIND!”

 

  Pearl nervously laughs, trying to defuse a bomb which is destined to go off. “Oh, I-I just thought you didn’t need any help. Now why don’t you separate, and we can all just sit down and relax?” She suggests, voice quivering as she does so.

 

  In that moment, the half-gem sees the gemstones located on her chest, and two of her palms respectively. From this, she inducts that the giant woman is a fusion between Garnet and Amethyst. Or is it Ruby-Sapphire-Amethyst…?

 

  “You… you’re Garnet and Amethyst right!?” Connie asks, shouting at her.

 

  Sugilite grins. “Yup. Sugilite. IN THE LIGHT, BABY!” She boasts, putting an arm to her hips.  “Hey Connie, you wanna see something?”

 

  She isn’t sure how to respond, so Sugilite decides for her, by kicking the pale gem and sending her flying, without any sort of elegance to her flight.

 

  “Pearl!” The half-gem calls out, unsure of whether to prioritize her, or Steven.

 

  Pearl’s lithe form lands in the sand, kicking up clouds that obscure her vision temporarily. Picking herself back up, and using her psammokinesis to clear her form and vision of unwanted sand, her outer physical form remains intact, if not scratched up. “Listen to me!” Despite the vast difference in raw physical prowess, she keeps most of her composure, and her voice remains defiant. “You've been fused for too long! You're losing yourselves!”

 

  “I _AM_ MYSELF!” Her anger augments her voice, doubling the decibels, “AND I'M SICK OF BEING SPLIT UP! So you better get used to me, baby. AND LEARN, TO, LISTEN YOURSELF FOR ONCE!” The giant fusion enunciates her last syllable by stomping and kicking up more sand, which Pearl is quick to disperse, before summoning her spear.

 

  Sugilite laughs at this display of defiance. “WHAT!? YOU WANNA FIGHT!?”

 

  “You’ll thank me… LATER!” At the last word, the pale gem leaps towards the fusion’s visage in an all-out assault, before being swatted away, minimal effort from Sugilite needed.

 

  Connie panics. “Pearl!” She tries to do summon her sword to help, but finds that she can’t. Because she knows that won’t be able to do anything. She isn’t skilled enough, she isn’t fast enough to possibly have a chance of fighting that monstrosity of a fusion, and she knows it.

 

  The pale gem lands in sand once more but manipulates it off her, and throws herself at the fusion once more. This time, she manages to catch her by surprise, being just fast enough to land a solid hit on the giant’s visor, revealing _five_ eyes.

 

  Sugilite is angry. Not angry because her enemy managed to land a solid hit on her. Angry because her prey managed to embarrass her in front of an audience. “YOU THINK YOU'RE SOMETHING!?” She roars, causing the earth under them to shake. “YOU THINK YOU’RE BETTER THAN US, ABOVE US! WELL GUESS WHAT! YOU!” With her full force, the fusion uppercuts the pale gem, knocking her up into the sky- “AIN'T!” smashes her into the ground when she comes down- “NOTHING!” and unleashes her weapon; an enormous flail, matching the fusion’s color scheme. It appears to be a combination of two weapons; that of Amethyst’s whip functioning as the handle, and that of Garnet’s fist functioning as the bludgeon.

 

  The pale gem impacts on the sand, throwing up more of the granularity everywhere. This time, it doesn’t disperse through magic, but the state of her physical form is visible through the shroud of sand; being very visibly bruised and bloodied, false teal blood everywhere. Before she can even have any time to recover, the flail comes down on her, and she’s forced to throw herself forward, trusting that the sand will catch her as she just manages to evade the coming deathblow.

 

  When the flail impacts the sand, the resulting shockwave is strong enough to send all in a three-meter radius flying, including the three onlookers to this incredibly lopsided duel of strength.

 

  Connie coughs, hacking up sand. “Everyone okay?”

 

  “This is why one doesn’t just fuse…” Peridot protests.

 

  “My eyes…” Steven protests, “I can’t see…”

 

  When the sand clears, through natural air gradation this time, the outcome of this battle is clear; Pearl is one blow away from poofing. Using her spear as a support, the pale gem puts forth one last endeavor to stand up, her physical form wounded and bruised everywhere, her throat coughing up false teal blood. And just for the briefest of seconds, her physical form flickers, her gem struggling to keep up the projection.

 

  “Connie!” Her physical form flickers again, and Pearl’s limbs begin to harden like molten cast iron. Her legs begin to give way, forced to kneel in submission, and though her eyes refuse to acknowledge the victor, her voice suggests otherwise. “I'm sorry… Connie, Amethyst…” She sniffles, whimpering at Amethyst, “I wasn't strong enough, to protect you. I'm not strong enough to do anything…”

 

  “Yes you are!”

 

  The pale gem turns her head to the voice.

 

  “Pearl! I know what Amethyst says about you sometimes. That you’re stuck-up, insensitive, arrogant, and uncaring… but don’t listen! Don’t listen to any of that! I know sometimes it seems like I think of you that way, but none of that matters! You’ve…” She points to herself, “you’ve taught me so much about magic, and… everything I know about the natural world! And if there’s one thing I’ve learned from you Pearl, is that we don’t have to be big in order to be strong! We can be strong in other ways too Pearl!”

 

 “Yeah!” Steven joins. “Like my mom always said! Strong in the real way!”

 

  Though the pale gem’s eyes begin to grow hot and wet from their words, she puts forth one last endeavor to stand up, only to discover that she has plenty of fight left inside her.

 

  “What are you all doing!” Peridot. “We need to run! We’re clearly doomed!”

 

  The pale gem realizes her mistake; that she gave into her internal jealousy, and was baited into a contest of physical strength alone, a contest where she was doomed to fail, no matter what.

 

  Sugilite is a amalgam of Garnet and Amethyst, two naturally physically talented gems who have always formed the core of strength, passion, and power in the team. But where the two excel in those qualities, they fall behind severely in matters of tactics and strategy, Pearl having always been defaulted to such matters (and being typically ignored whenever she tried to voice her opinions in.)

 

  Her eyes fall towards Beach House, and she tries her best not to be horrified by the damage sustained by the patio. Repairs can come later. Analyzing the environment comes now, she tells herself.  She’ll have just a few seconds before Sugilite starts up the fight again.

 

  Her thoughts fall back towards her foe. Sugilite is a fusion of raw power and passion, two traits which threaten to overwhelm and swamp the tactician gem whole. But she also lacks control. Her Sapphire component is now overwhelmed by that of Ruby and Sapphire (or perhaps just encouraged,) it’s natural she ended up losing all sense of her past, and her responsibilities. If she can make her lose control in battle...

 

  In no way is this lack of control better represented by Sugilite’s choice weapon; the flail. Powerful, destructive, though armed with the ability to quickly turn against it’s wielder. If she can use her weapon against her…

 

  “WHAT?” Her planning time has ended. “YOU WANT SOME MORE!?”

 

  She’ll have to taunt her. “ANY TIME! You're no match for me! Not even CLOSE!”

  
  She sidesteps the oncoming, predictable blow, and runs, pushing her physical form to it’s limits. She’ll bait her into a trap. She knows what to do.

 

  “GO PEARL! I KNOW YOU CAN DO IT!”

 

  She aims her body away from her foe, towards the town, and pushes her physical form to the theoretical maximum as she does so, leaving Sugilite scrambling after what’s supposed to be her prey.

 

  “What is the Pearl doing!?” Peridot asks.

 

  Connie smiles. “Trust me. She’ll win.”

 

  “No she won’t!”

 

  The pale gem turns a sharp angle when she veers towards the hill, and runs up towards the lighthouse, her enemy in tow. Sugilite has perfectly taken the bait. Upon reaching the end of the cliff, the pale gem vaults forward, into the air.

 

  Sugilite laughs. “Nice try.” Swinging her flail, the purple fusion stands at the precipice of the cliff, right where Pearl had calculated she would be. Naturally, Pearl closes the trap, hurling her weapon at the footing with calculated precision.

 

  The impact breaks her footing, sending Sugilite crashing to the sand below, kicking up _yet_ another storm-

 

  “Is that all you GOT?” The fusion taunts, standing herself back up with ease. “You think that's enough to beat—”

 

  It was a perfect trap. Sugilite’s flail impacts her skull, flattening it completely and unnaturally. Her form poofs right after, signalling the end of the fight.

 

  Pearl has won. The defeated Amethyst and Garnet lay in their loss, groaning from pain.

 

  Pearl isn’t one to waste time, shifting gears from tactician to mother hen. “Amethyst! Garnet!” She cries, rushing over to them, “Are you okay!?”

 

  “Yeah…” Garnet groans, receiving the pale gem in a rare moment of deference to her physical state. “Sugilite just overworked our bodies. It’s... a little painful.”

 

  “You see what happens when you Crystal Clods fuse…” Peridot grumbles, only to receive two death glares from the former components of Sugilite, and… pretty much everyone else.

 

  “I’ve got a monster headache and I’m not in the mood for dealing with you…” Amethyst groans.

 

  Pearl embraces the two of them in a bone-crushing hug, although technically harmless, serves only to aggravate the soreness the two gems are being subjected to as of now.

 

  They both moan in absolute agony.

 

  The pale gem backs off, dropping them to the sand like hot glass. “Whoops.”

 

  “Pearl… you did it.” There to properly celebrate her victory, are Steven and Connie, who are there for hugs as well.

 

  Pearl blushes, brushing loose strand of hair from the half-gem’s visage. “Connie… thank you. I needed that.”

 

  The half-gem beams with pride. “Peridot, you have something to say to Pearl?”

 

  “We have nothing to communicate to each other.”

 

  Crossing her arms, the green gem receives a push from Steven, and ends up stumbling forward, eyeing the pale gem with suspicion. “I would rather I must admit…” Her eyes focus on anywhere else but Pearl’s eyes,  “that I severely underestimated your… intuition, concerning its’ application to battlefield engagements.”

 

  Pearl smiles. “Thank you Peridot.”

 

  “But don’t take this adaptation as a sign that you’re above your post. You’re still just a Pearl.” The green gem corrects, ruining the mood.

 

  Having spoiled the moment, Peridot receives a strong punch from Garnet, straight into the water.

 

oOoOo

 

  “What’s fusion?” The musician asks, starry eyed. The two of them have retreated to farther out onto the coastline, away from the temple, with the temple and Pearl preoccupied with caring for the two former components of Sugilite, now out of commission.

 

  The horizon has pinkened with the coming of sunset, in the stead of the usual orange, marking the transition from fall to winter. On the sands of the beach, Steven and Connie lay on a blanket together, their casual talk shifting to a discussion on the the complexities and nuances of fusion, with Steven wanting to learn as much as he possibly can from his friend.

 

  “It’s when…” Connie frowns, picking at the sand in her trim nails. “It’s when two gems combine together, but it’s… much more than that.” She frowns. “Pearl said when two gems synchronize their forms, they form a powerful fusion gem.”

 

  “Whoa…”

 

  Encouraged that Steven’s happy, the half-gem continues. “They become an amalgam of their combined magical and physical attributes into a single entity. Like Sugilite. Or Garnet.”

 

  The boy sits up. “So-what whaaa??? Garnet’s a fusion too?”

 

  She nods in confirmation. “Ruby and Sapphire. She said they were waiting for my birthday to tell me, but Peridot ruined the whole thing, though it isn’t really her fault. I still haven’t seen the Garnet defused though, she said that Ruby and Sapphire are planning to wait for my birthday for the big reveal.

 

  “Really? That’s… that’s amazing!” He purses his lips. “Can you… fuse too?”

 

  She darkens, letting out a small grunt. He takes notice.

 

  “You can’t?” He guesses to the cause of her change in mood.

 

  “I… I can’t. Well, they’ve said I can. But me and the gems have tried it before, and… nothing.” She admits, reluctantly. “I just can’t dance.”

 

  Steven raises an eyebrow. “Dance?”

 

 “Oh, it’s the quickest and easiest way of synchronizing for duos who are unused to it. Garnet said that gems who are really close together can just fuse whenever they want, at any moment.”

 

  “Hmm…” maybe I can help you?” He asks, startling her.

 

  “What… do you mean by that?” She raises an eyebrow.

 

  Standing up, he holds out an arm, beckoning her to take it. “Let’s dance.”

 

  She snickers, taking his hand for him to give her a boost. “I can’t dance. Amethyst said I always look like I’m flopping around like a dead fish, and Pearl always scolds me for having no discipline. Dancing just doesn't really seem that fun, you know?”

 

  He sullens in empathy. “I get you. But dancing is supposed to be something you… just do. It’s supposed to be fun, even if you do look like you’re flopping around like a dead fish.”

 

  She sighs, shaking her hand loose from his. “That’s what Amethyst says, but I always just feel that way. I just can’t stop thinking about how everyone’s staring at me.”

 

  “Well…” Steven starts softly, “no one's staring except us right now?”

 

  She blushes. “I… suppose so.”

 

  He grins. “We’ll need music then! And I have an idea!” Whipping out his backpack, he pulls out a black case, containing his ukulele, which he promptly wears.

 

  “Steven, I’m… I’m getting second thoughts-”

 

  “Come on! Even if we mess up, it’ll be fun!”

 

  “All… alright…” She frowns. “Wait, how are we…”

 

  He grins. “Just follow.” Standing close, they first begin apart. Steven smiles a stupid grin on his face, and she laughs, performing a mock bow, akin to Pearl.

 

  They start, with the half-gem stepping on his heels, and the human trying to establish some form of harmony, spectacularly failing. Eventually though, they find themselves in some form of rhythm, their feet falling into a pleasant, flowing promenade. Their eyes fall into each other, entranced… in some kind of longing.

 

**_Steven_ **

 

_Isn't this such a beautiful night,_

_Whoah, we're underneath a thousand shining stars._

_Isn’t it nice just to be someone different,_

_Whoa, why don't we let ourselves just be whoever we are._

 

_Look at this place, look at our faces,_

_I've never seen you look like this before._

_Isn’t it be nice just to be someone different,_

_Whoa, why don't we let ourselves just be whoever we are._

 

**_Connie_ **

 

_Look at this place, look at our faces._

_To shine, like a thousand shining stars_

_Would it be nice just to be someone different,_

_Whoa, why don't we let ourselves just be whatever we are._

 

**_Both_ **

 

_Why don't we let ourselves just be someone different._

_Whoa, why don't we let ourselves just be... whoever we are._

 

  Lost in the song, it becomes an inevitability that one of them will trip and fall, the first victim being the one without enhanced coordination from her magical abilities. Steven’s feel  trip over each other, sending him falling  over. Lost in the moment, the half-gem grabs him by the hips, spinning him and catching him, in a perfect execution of Pearl’s routine. Steven yelps in surprise, his ukelele falling to the sand below, as the half-gem lowers him towards the ground. He grins widely and she just can't help but join him.

 

  They laugh. Blissfully lost in the moment, each blushing accordingly. Resting her forehead upon his, they fall into each other, and complete.

 

oOoOo

 

  Eyes vault open, and just _be_.

  

  “That was… lovely… of me?” They frown. “Why am I-? Why is…” Eyes focus on the pair of sandals discarded onto the sand, fingers tepidly feeling the synthetic footwear, minds instinctively drawing comparisons to that of their oversized foot, “your sandal too small for my-your feet?” Feeling their body, they realize they have grown to a height outmatching that of Pearl.

 

  Fists instinctively ball up in their hair. “Steven? Connie!” Their mind is scramble-jumble, both from the unfamiliar sensation of simply being able to think for the first time, alongside the sensation of having two minds im one. “I did it!” They frown. “You did it?”

 

  “Wait.” They try to stretch out their back, feeling several bones pop in response. “Ugh, this-no.” Interrupting themselves, they wonder whether their thoughts are an amalgam of that of Steven and Connie’s, or if they are their own actor.

 

  They’re too excited to dedicate any precious time considering this question of the mind. Now is the time for action. “This is gr-great! Oh my gosh, look at you now! Picking themself up, they arise, not unlike a child taking their first steps.

 

  They purse their lips. “I'm a fusion…” Breaking out into elation, they run for the first time, laughing as they do so, until they trip on yet another rogue rock. Which doesn’t faze their mood in the slightest.

 

  “I have to show everybody.”

 

oOoOo

 

  Pearl stares, unsure. Amethyst grins, laying on the couch, approvingly. Garnet, laying right alongside her, purses her lips, as if to articulate a thought yet to be processed. Peridot just gawks in horror.

 

  “Pretty cool, right?” They ask, wearing a wide grin on their face.

 

  “She fused?” Pearl analyzes, “With her friend Steven?”

 

  Amethyst pokes her in the wrist. “Pearl, look at Garnet.”

 

  And sure enough, the fusion is ecstatic at their success, standing and wearing an expression on her face that they aren’t sure anyone has ever seen before; giddy, uncompromising joy.  

 

  Peridot lets out an undignified sound. “But… why! And… how! And… why!”

 

  “This is unprecedented.” Pearl admits. Starting over to inspect the unorthodox fusion, she first begins with the arms. She startles, when she realizes the full scale of the bulk they possess. “A Gem fusing…” She moves onto the legs, revealing the same results, “with a human... being?” She backs off, wearing an unclear gaze that seems to be a mixture of shock, fear, and awe. “It's impossible!” Frowning, she cups her mouth. “Or at the very least inappropriate…”

 

  Noticing Stevonnie’ growing glum, Amethyst hobbles over, as fast as her sore physical form will allow. “Wow! You two look great together! How does it feel Steven? Connie? ... Stevonnie?”

 

  Loving the name, Stevonnie immediately brightens. “It feels amazing!”

 

  “B-but how! And… and why! And…” Flapping her fingers at Stevonnie, as if attempting to convey words that aren’t coming together, Peridot stands slackjawed. “This is completely wrong and disgusting!”

 

  “J-just…” Frowning, they try to reclaim the wind knocked out of their lungs _‘wait, do we have four now?’_ “That’s just Peridot, don’t take anything she says too seriously!” They nod. “Right! Right! Got it!”

 

  “Your fusion is destabilizing…” Pearl muses, “this can’t possibly be safe for the two of you, especially just after we’ve dealt with Sugilite. You need to un-fuse, _right now_.”

 

  “I, again, agree with the Pearl.” Peridot adds, looking unhappy about it.

 

  They frown. “Pearl. I-” They feel themself unstabilizing again, and grunt in response, “you were so worried Connie wouldn’t be able to do this. And…” her voice grows soft, “do you think I’m wrong… and disgusting?”

 

  Peridot opens her mouth, only to receive several glares from everyone, shutting her up.

 

  “No!” Pearl clarifies, “I just think that in light of recent events this form of yours is not appropriate for the moment?” Backing up, it’s clear to everyone in the room she wishes she could just stuff her words down her throat, “Garnet, help me out here…”

 

  The fusion, now serious, steps up to take Pearl’s place, and cups their face. “Stevonnie. Listen to me. You are not two people. And you are not one person. You... are an experience! Make sure you're a good experience.” She grins, revealing a smile they’ve never seen before. “Now... Go!... Have!... Fun!”

 

oOoOo

 

  They’ve never enjoyed the mundane as much as they have in this moment. Just… running, running faster than he’s ever run before, faster than she’s ever run before, then they have… Breathing is a new experience entirely as if Steven’s sense of smell has been augmented with something totally new, or maybe the other way around-

 

  Lost in each other, in themself, they find themselves flying off a familiar cliff on the opposite side of the beach; one which they had noticed before, but had found little motivation, or courage to face.

 

  They fall through their own bliss, welcomed by the ocean, the warm waters with a splash below.

 

  Laughing, they just let themself float through bliss, floating back towards the shore wherein they are received by the sound of their stomach growling.

 

  High on self-love, they start the way back up to their familiar donut shop in search for nourishment, their hair still clinging to their eyes, denying them of sight.

 

  It’s not like they need sight. The path is so familiar, so well worn by her that before long, they’ve arrived at the familiar glass door. With a familiar jingle, they saulter the way to the front desk.

 

 “Ha-ha-” Lars sounds like he's been caught a bit off-guard, shirking his work as always, “how can I-help… me?”

 

  Stevonnie performs a hair flip, regaining control over their vision. “Two doughnuts. Please.”

 

  Manning the front desk are Lars and Sadie. Who appear… to be a bit off, with Sadie slackjawed, the both of them just… staring. At them? Is their presence just that physically overwhelming?

 

  The poor boy snatches up two doughnuts from the display case, producing their order on the counter in record time.

 

  They approach. They blush.

 

  Counting their money, Stevonnie muses, “How much do I owe you?”

 

  Lars looks like he’s about to break down. “Uh-ah-uhhh…”

 

  Two arms slam across the countertop. “Oh…” Sadie stumbles, “nothing! It’s…” She blushes, looking away to save face, “on the house.”

 

  Pleasantly surprised, they chuckle. “Really?”

 

  The two of them nod and agree in another moment of rare unity. “Mmm-hmm.”

 

  Maybe combined together their charisma score just goes up?

 

  “Okay.” Grabbing their treats off the counter, Stevonnie saunters off, but not before flashing them one last look. “But just so you know… that isn’t a very sound business practice.”

 

  The familiar bells chime once more, and the cool ocean breeze greets them, alongside a comfy-looking bench which invites them to rest, just for the moment.

 

  “Sweet, two doughnuts!” Crinkling the bag, they pull out their purchases, ready to devour it with gusto. “One for me, and one for… uh… me.”

 

  They frown at their temporary lapse of logic.

 

  “Are you… okay?” She/They blink.

 

  “We can stop if you…” He/They suggest.

 

  They put two and two together, literally pressing the donuts against each other. “No. No. Don’t worry.” Taking a bite out of their confectionary treats, they decide to just spend this time… just, being themselves. It’s not like they can’t eat two. They’re a growing bodies, after all. Sighing, they… what was it that people said nowadays? Lounging around?

 

  “Mmmm.” Taking another bite into blissful frosted confectionery heaven, they notice the presence of some stranger, a young man, ice blue eyes, with platinum hair fashioned into a spike. His hands lie buried in the pockets of his gray hoodie, which complement his orange phat pants well.

 

  “Hey there.” They set their donuts down. “Cool pants.”

 

  He looks nervous, looking away to avoid their gaze. “Cool.” He fishes from his pockets some sort of flyer, with the word ‘Rave’ printed on it. “Rave tonight.”

 

  Their eyes carefully scrutinize the flyer. “Like… a dance?”

 

  Blushing, he nods. “Yeah, at the warehouse. I'm DJ-ing, and a bunch of my friends from the internet are gonna be there. There's gonna be free... glow sticks…”

 

  “Yes! I'll definitely be there! Yes. Thanks!”

 

oOoOo

 

   They’re positive this is the place. It helps that there’s obscenely loud music thrumming from the inside. It’s a very familiar, yet unfamiliar location, the abandoned warehouse where the pseudo-legal wrestling matches are always held.

 

  Night has fallen upon Beach City, manifesting itself in vibrant fuschia light. The fusion still feels safe, being around six feet tall and having all the strength of their half-gem component, and is able to approach the repopulated ruin with confidence.

 

  Peeking inside, it’s all but confirmed that this is the place; Beach City’s entire teenage population has shown up on the dance floor, enjoying themselves. They recognize Ronaldo’s face from the crowd, but everyone else's is foreign, save for the DJ.

 

  Putting on a brave face, they step forward, and join the dance floor.

 

  Moving with the music, the lights, the people… it’s as if they’re all flowing through them naturally. Their dancing is an amalgram of the gems’, they alternate between pirouettes, twirls, knee-slides, movements of the bold yet brash categories; movements one might argue belonging to the trash.

 

  Whatever they’re doing, feels natural. Feels good. _Feels right._

 

  Until they notice that they’re not dancing with the people anymore. It’s the people rather, who are just… staring at them. For whatever reason.

 

  They laugh nervously, and try to clear up the mood. “I-I thought this was a dance party." Nothing. "Why isn’t anyone else dancing?”

 

  They continue to stare wordlessly. “This is what being cool at a cool dance is right? This is how it’s supposed to be…” They begin falling through, nausea building up- “why isn’t it like it’s supposed to be?”

 

  Everyone grows bigger and bigger and their eyes grow wider and keep staring and keep staring and won’t stop staring and they close their eyes shut to block out the world and stares around them, only to find themselves lost in yet another world one that shines and one that glows and the music’s off but on yet off and-

 

  “Hey baby.”

 

  The face is recognizable. For all the wrong reasons. “Wha?”

 

  The music starts again. The world starts again, the party starts again, everyone having returned to their own business. Save for the one right in front of them.

 

  Kevin.

 

  He leans far too close for their comfort (they didn’t realize they had a comfort zone,) and puts his hand out, as if they’re supposed to take it. “Get ready.” He slides around their figure, “it’s Kevin time.”

 

  Kevin dances. Dances differently. Dances like he’s lost in something. Between his gawdy moves, his constant pointing at others, and his pelvic thrusting, it almost seems… self-absorbed. As if instead of being about the moment, it’s about himself.

 

  Lost in himself.

 

  They run off, abandoning Kevin to the crowd figuring he has plenty of company. Sweltering in heat, they take shelter near a wall, leaning against it as a support.

 

  “I...don't understand what's wrong.” They talk to themself. “You have fun dancing but this dance isn't fun. You're supposed to like this. Why- don't we like this?”

 

  They sigh, straightening himself and leaning against the wall as the feeling of nausea subsides.

 

  “I wish you were here.” They slump against the wall and allow themselves to fall again. “If we were together, it would be okay. But we _are_ together, and it's not.  I'm alone.” They close their eyes and shut, trying to reorient themself/ves.

 

  “Not tonight.” They grit their teeth, and are greeted with an unwanted sight, leaning in against them once more, at an uncomfortably close distance. “Hey baby, why'd you leave me on the dance floor?”

 

  “I don’t-” He offers them his hands again and she swats them away, “just go! We want to be alone!”

 

  He frowns. “Well I want to go back out. We’re the best thing that’s ever happened to this place. Come back out with me.”

 

  “Why should I?”

 

  He grins. “Because we're _angels_ walking among garbage people. We're perfect for each other.”

 

  They try not to vomit. “How can you say that!? You don't even know us!”

 

  “Oh, whoa. I'm just looking for a dance!” He shoots them an accusatory look. “Don't get crazy.”

 

  They she stands. “No one is crazy. I just don't like feeling alone here!”

 

  “If you're so lonely, then dance with me!” His arm moves to grab their wrist.

 

  She snaps.

 

  A second, and a flash of light. Kevin is sent flying, his cheek pummeled red, someone screams.

 

  She makes out the sound of Steven, groaning. “What happened..."

 

  “I…” She rubs her forehead, and feels a trashing in her skull. She's herself, she's always been herself, and she's never known and still doesn't know what herself is. 

 

  Her vision eventually focuses, and when she comes to fully, she finds she's on the ground with Steven. 

 

  “What were we doing?” Her eyes grow wide.

 

  This… this is Kevin’s fault right? None of this would have happened if he hadn’t been such a creep…

 

  “What’s going on!?” The DJ has left his post to report on the situation. A crowd has started to form, and with it will go their chance to escape.

 

  She tries to say something, but falters. Swiveling her head around, she finds that Kevin's cheek is bruised nasty and purple. The lights have been killed. Party’s over.

 

  In a perfect world, there wouldn’t have been a Kevin to deal with. In a perfect world, she’s be allowed to defend herself. In a perfect world, she would have just swatted him off. She wouldn’t have went and ruined an entire party by pummeling into his face raw.

 

  But this is reality, and she has to face the consequences of her actions, no matter how unjust.

 

_“Connie, we have to go-”_

 

  She listens, and just lets her hand be taken, and they run.

 

oOoOo

  They run, seemingly aimlessly. All they know is that they're running away from the dance party, until they come across Beach House once more.

 

  "Connie..." He pants, forehead glistened with sweat, "I don't think I can run anymore."

 

  She sighs. "I can get a water from the temple while you rest here."

 

  He nods. “Are… are we going to be in trouble?”

 

  She waves it off, not bothering to look him in the eyes as she does so. “The gems can take care of it. They’ll understand.”

 

  “But… that’s not right. We could have just talked to someone else, or just maybe called him out, we, we didn’t need to actually hurt him… did we?”

 

  She narrows at him. “What do you mean, not right!? He… he was totally being a creep! He was making you uncomfortable! I felt it!”

 

  “Connie,” he tries, “I don’t want you to do these things for me. I… I don’t like seeing other people getting hurt.”

 

  Her gaze softens, though a bit unattentive… unaware. “I want to protect you Steven… I at least want to be able to do that much.”

 

  “Connie… you’re scaring me.”

 

  She takes several steps back, and looks down in further contemplation of what just transpired.

 

  Sighing, he looks away, turning towards the night sky, letting the cool breeze wash some of his troubles away. Frowning, he figures he might as well try to cheer up the situation, but instead finds Connie curled up, face in her hands.

 

  “I… I’m bad aren’t I? If it weren’t for me everything would have-”

 

  Steven kneels down to hug her. “Connie… you were just worried about me. It’s okay. Really. Everything’s okay.”

 

  “No it’s not…” she continues, “Pearl would have stayed calm. Amethyst would have talked it out. Garnet would have walked away. If it were anyone else things wouldn’t have gotten out of control.”

 

  She shudders, tearing up and unwilling to look him in the eyes.

 

  “Connie... Listen to me.” He smiles sweetly as he always does, before cupping her cheeks, wiping away some of her tears, and patting her back.

 

  She blushes furiously, nodding.

 

  “You’re more than enough.”

 

  Leaning into each other, they sigh, and _just be_.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> connie has realized that emotionally, she’s in too deep.
> 
> next two chapters will be interludes. starring pearlmethyst and amedot. Everyone’s in too deep now. Except garnet. Perks of being made of love.
> 
> bc the next two chapters are interludes, likely won’t take as long to write. likely. school is murdering me with around 100 pages assigned to read per week on average.


	11. Interlude: Undercurrent

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that was quick

  It’s been more than a few months since their last argument in front of Connie.

 

  Maybe Pearl considers this a success, progress, a step in the right direction. Amethyst isn’t her. Amethyst isn’t some hopped up broken maintenance drone trying to keep up appearances when the whole foundation has crumbled to shit.

 

  Pearl doesn’t lecture her nearly as often anymore. Good.

 

  For Connie, they’ve tried to stop bickering every ten seconds they’re together. That means they’ve stopped talking. That means they avoid each other whenever they can.

 

  For Connie, she’s tried to get her shit together, and start acting like an actual gem.

 

**That means whenever she does fuck up, no excuses. She knows she’s not faking it. Acting out. Trying to get attention.**

 

  Everything about her is bad. She doesn’t want to take part in serious gem business, she just wants to just eat stuff and discover new things (maybe hoard them,) talk to people, go to parties, get absolutely wasted, break shit, ruin everything, have people yell at you, laugh it off, and just  _ not have to think.  _ Everything about her is bad, she knows it, so what’s the point of trying to pretend like they’re still gems from thousands of years ago?

 

  Pearl doesn’t lecture her nearly as often anymore. Good.

 

  But now the problem is that she doesn’t lecture her nearly as often. 

 

  They never talk anymore.

 

  And when she does lecture her, the narrative has changed. No more ‘Amethyst is a whiny crybaby who just wants  _ someone _ to actually talk to her about stuff that’s isn’t about missions.’

 

  It’s because Amethyst is weak. Brash, aggressive, impulsive, attention-seeking, crude, reckless, selfish, narcissistic, manipulative, egoistic, fake.

  
  She especially loves it when Garnet just stands there and says nothing like  **she always fucking does** and says nothing while Pearl is throwing all this shit at her  _ (because Pearl’s right of course, when isn’t she right?)  _

 

  She wishes she could take some of her “self-love,” her "flexibility, love and trust,” and shove it all back in her face.

 

  Amethyst is a burden. A failure as a mother, a failure as a gem, a failure as a Crystal Gem. 

 

  The best part? She can’t help but cry over Pearl.

 

  Cries because she knows she’s hurting from Rose, and wants to just make her understand she isn’t alone.

 

_   (doesn’t she know she would kill for just an ounce of the relationship Pearl and Rose had with each other) _

 

__ Cries because she just wants her to shut the fuck up about how alone she is, how they can be sad and miserable together.

 

_ (seriously though how in the fuck did she end up falling for her?) _

 

  Cries because she knows she’s Rose’s, that she’ll always belong to Rose, and that her feelings were a dead end even before they could even begin.

 

  Before Connie, everything was fine. No one ever expected anything of her. She would always just do whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted, and Rose was always there in the end to sort out the kinks.

 

  Now she’s fucking dead. Thanks Rose.

 

  She cries because Pearl will never see her the way she wants her to; not as a fellow Crystal Gem, but as  _ Amethyst,  _  the gem who just wants her to relax with her every once in a while, with maybe a picnic, a promenade under the stars,  _ them lying in bed together with Amethyst fingering her until she cries and moans and squirts- _

 

  In short, Pearl is everything Amethyst isn’t. Smart, respected, loved, important  _ (especially to Rose)  _ and ungrateful.

 

  It’s nothing a few bottles from the self-medicating  _ (heh) _ pile in her room can’t solve though.

  
  
  
  
  


_   everything is breaking _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next interlude will be an adaptation of too far, followed by a chapter
> 
> without steven's extroverted glue to hold everyone together, the gems must introspect to resolve their problems (lol)


	12. Interlude: Too Far

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peridot's stay on Earth starts to affect her emotionally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if cn can put the show on hiatus so can i with my trash

  “Yo Peridot, you need some help with that?” The amethyst asks, with an undeniable mocking in her tone.

 

  “I most certainly do not!” Peridot retorts, hanging off of the “kitchen cupboard,” clinging on pathetically and wondering whether or not a fall from this height would embarrassingly poof her.  She's also hoping that the primitive woodworking doesn't give under her weight. “This primitive living quarters is simply... unoptimized for my height!”

 

  “So what you’re saying is that you’re too short.” Amethyst replies smugly, eliciting a groan from the green gem.

 

  “What’s going on?” The hybrid Connie wanders in, out of curiosity.

 

  The fusion and the pearl had been away for several Earth hours to Diamonds knew where, leaving the amethyst and the Connie behind in charge of chaperoning her.

 

  “P-dot’s just too short to reach the cupboards on her own.” The amethyst explains to the hybrid Connie.

 

  “I have reached these cupboards on my own!”

 

  “Yeah, and you look like you’re about to poof yourself doing it. Here,” The Amethyst’s form glows, before stretching her natural form’s height several meters and grabbing Peridot before she falls; “just tell me what you’re looking for dude.”

 

  The cradled green gem groans, and points. “The multi-pointed metallic eating utensil.”

 

  The amethyst lets out some sort of mocking cackle. “You mean a fork?”

 

  “I do not believe I gave you two mutually exclusive choices-”

 

  The amethyst just laughs at her, making her feel incredibly patronized. “Will you give it to me or not?”

 

  “Here, here.” The amethyst grabs the eating utensil, then sets her down, multi-pointed eating utensil in hand. Peridot just sighs. Despite the humiliating circumstances, she _admittedly_ was glad to not be hanging on for dear life.

 

  “Why do you even need a fork?” The hybrid Connie asks, with a passing interest in the situation.

 

   She frowns. "That I needed this primitive multi-pointed metallic eating utensil is of trivial importance-"

 

  “Hey, Peridot.” The amethyst interrupts, pointing to her scent sponge, “what do you call this?”

 

  She doesn’t understand the point of this exercise, but she’ll play along. “A scent sponge.”

 

  The amethyst laughs, her form returning to normal size, and the hybrid lets out a mocking smirk, “Amethyst, we probably shouldn’t make fun of semantics-”

 

  “Okay, what’s this?” The amethyst ignores, stretching out her vision sphere with her touch stumps.

 

  “Vision sphere.”

 

  “These?” She waggles her touch stumps.

 

  “Touch stumps.”

 

  “This?!” She points at her gravity connectors.

 

  This exercise is becoming a test on her patience. “Gravity connectors.”

 

  “This?” The amethyst grins stupidly, hanging out and pointing at her rear end.

 

  “THAT’S YOUR BUTT!”

 

  The earthlings laugh in hysterics, allowing Peridot to slip the ‘fork’ under her jumpsuit undetected.

 

  “Peridot,” the amethyst lets out between useless breaths, “that’s… that’s hilarious!”

 

   Yet _another_ unfamiliar term. “Uh…”

 

  The amethyst takes another unnecessary second to collect her breath, “You’re… you’re funny!”

 

  “Funny?”

 

  “Yeah, you’re a total riot. You’re… you’re pretty funny for being a nerd.”

 

oOoOo

 

_riot. n._

 

 

__A violent disturbance of the peace by a crowd._ _

 

 

 

__An impressively large or varied display of something._ _

 

 

  She likes the latter definition.

 

_funny. a._

 

 

__Causing laughter_ _or amusement; humorous._ _

 

 

 

__Difficult to explain or understand; strange._ _

 

 

  She observes that the definition for funny hasn’t changed across the stars.

 

_nerd. n._

 

 

__A foolish or contemptible person who lacks social skills or is boringly studious._ _

 

 

 

__A single-minded expert in a particular technical field._ _

 

 

  She isn’t sure what to make of this one.

 

oOoOo

 

  Earth was, and still is for the captive of the Crystal Clods, unbelievably disgusting, infested with microbial life forms undetectable and uncleansable to those of normal size. How her captors could stand to live in an… unsterilized planet, where millions of microbial life forms thrived on each and every corporeal form… it eluded her entirely.

 

  The variations and nuances of this planet the amethyst had deluded herself into understanding also elude Peridot entirely. No matter how much the amethyst might try to get her to try the backwater Earth customs the Crystal Clods have themselves become so accustomed with, she feels as if she’ll never “get used to it.”

 

  That relieves her. The prospect of integrating with life and culture on this backwater abandoned colony… scares her. Why the Diamonds were so interested in the planet in the first place evades her, but it isn’t her place to ask questions.

 

  On Homeworld… everything was regimented. Everything made sense. Everything had some sort of purpose behind it. The Diamonds were there to protect her, and gemkind was always right. Here… she feels lost. She has the irritating defective amethyst to guide her but she always feels incomplete. Unworthy. She doesn’t like most of these ‘feels,’ that inherent variation of this planet forces her to experience on a daily basis.

 

   Clods, she just wants to leave.

 

  For whatever reason, the bipedal life forms on this planet have evolved enough intelligence to construct primitive propulsion engines capable of functioning within the vacuum of space (despite their inability to unify as a cohesive, whole species.)

 

  She should know. The amethyst somehow managed to shove one of said engines into her room.

 

  She supposed it was impressive of ‘humanity,’ at the very least, that the human engineers who designed the engine managed to succeed despite having gotten the very basic fundamentals of engineering wrong. She’ll have to spend a cycle or two reconfiguring the structure, at the very least.

 

  Despite all of the difficulties of organizing, gathering, and memorizing the purpose of each and every part gathered, everything was going exactly as planned. She figured it would take around a hundred cycles or so before she can execute the plan. Reverse-engineering a dimensional singularity generator shouldn't be too difficult for a fine Peridot such as herself, especially one under Yellow Diamond's service.

 

   The trip back home should give her plenty of time to mentally recover from this odyssey, and once she returns, she’ll likely be given a commendation from Yellow Diamond herself.

 

   ...If she doesn’t succeed, she knows she’ll die on this wretched, miserable rock.

 

  At the very least, life with the Crystal Clods was _nearing_ tolerability, no thanks to the defective pearl and the fusion abomination's near absolute silence torwards her. It makes sense though, that the both of them are unwilling to accept _facts_ , having to meet her perfect logic with rhetorical silence.

 

  “"Perma-fusion"?” The amethyst snickers, interrupting Peridot's gazing, and consuming the bag of ‘popcorn’ raw, “Is that what you call Garnet?”

 

  An off-cycle. The defective pearl had made herself lost within the confines of her temple room, the fusion abomination clodding somewhere unknown, leaving the hybrid Connie and the amethyst chaperoning her in the hybrid Connie’s room, just… laying around. Doing nothing, besides wondering what to do this off-cycle.

 

  One of the advantages of a structured life. Not having these _unbearable_ off-cycles with _nothing_ to do-

 

  She hasn’t had any opportunity to speak on her feelings on the fusion abomination without recourse, so Peridot jumps off, only mildly afraid that the perma-fusion is actually just blending into the background. She had a tendency to do that at times. “I could call her lots of things. I could call her two things! Two clods!” She laughs, looking around to make sure she won't be met with an oncoming fist, “Walking around like she's... one clod!”

 

  “What's wrong with that?” The hybrid Connie asks.

 

  “She's not even fighting! She's, you know, she's just, y-you know like the…” She tries to make a figure demonstration with her touch stumps, “you know!”

 

  The amethyst bursts into a course of raucous laughter. “You're a real gem, Peri.” She states this fact randomly.

 

  Peridot isn’t sure what to make of that true statement. “Yes, I am... a Gem.”

 

  The amethyst grins, making some sort of reassuring gesture with her palms. “Okay, okay. Do Connie next. What’s weird about Connie?”

 

  Peridot grins wickedly. “Where do I even begin! She's some sort of hybrid abomination, I don't even understand how she functions! Her organic half consumes so much energy that she has to constantly feed, and she spends so much time expelling, that she has a whole room dedicated to it!

 

  The hybrid Connie places two touch stumps to her chin. “That’s… uh...certainly a different, if somewhat repulsive way to think about it...”

 

  The amethyst just laughs even harder and Peridot finds herself grinning for whatever reason; though she hates most of the ‘feels’ and emotions this planet elicits from her without her input, she likes _this_ one, at the very least.

 

  Likes it. Wants to feel it more. Wants to see it more in both herself, and the amethyst-

 

  “The strangest thing is, Amethyst, you think you have to listen to them!” She laughs to herself, losing control of the ‘punch line,’ “Y-you're the one who should be in charge!”

 

  The Amethyst just holds up one of her touch stump connectors in a sort of gesture and laughs, “that’s your best joke yet.”

 

  “No, really. Pearl is a _pearl_ , Garnet is a fusion, I don't even know what _she's_ supposed to be!” She elaborates, pointing at the hybrid Connie, who just glares at her. “You’re the only Crystal Gem, that’s actually a gem!”

 

  “Uhm…” The amethyst still tries to laugh it off, “what?”

 

  “You outrank everyone on your team. They should be listening to you! You're a strong, singular, fully-functional soldier, despite the fact you're defective.”

 

  Amethyst’s face drops.

 

  “Defective?” Amethyst asks, coldly.

 

  Peridot grins, “Well sure! You’re small!”

 

  Amethyst’s voice grates. “...So?”

 

 “Well, you’re not supposed to be!” She clears her throat; “wait, let me guess…” she snickers, “you stayed in the ground for too long?”

 

  The hybrid Connie looks unsure as to what’s happening.

 

  “What was I supposed to look like?” Amethyst asks lowly.

 

  “Well, you're a quartz. They're huge, loyal soldiers. You should be twice your size. Broad shouldered, intimidating. You over-baked by staying in the ground for too long.”

 

  The hybrid Connie tries to place a hand on the amethyst’s shoulder, who just brushes her off.

 

  “Are you saying I’m wrong!?”

 

  Peridot laughs, continuing to have no idea where she’s dug herself. “Gemetically speaking, yes! When you think about it it’s all so…” she snickers, “funny!”

 

  Amethyst grabs Peridot’s jumpsuit, dragging her closer. “Show me.”

 

  Peridot smiles. “Gladly!”

 

  The purple gem also glares at Connie. “You’re coming with me. No more hiding any of this.”

 

oOoOo

 

  Neglected. Abandoned. Once one of many planned Kindergarten sites for the planet, the group of three are greeted with what remains of the site after millenia of neglect.

 

  Broken, desolate machines litter the landscape, inoperate for thousands of years, their metallic bodies well preserved by the Kindergarten’s lack of organic biomatter. Had the machines been laid to rest in an area with the slightest hint of life, their exoskeletons would have long crumbled into rust.

 

  “This place… this is Kindergarten right?” The hybrid Connie asks.

 

  “It’s where I’m from.” The amethyst coldly answers.

 

  The hybrid Connie nods. “And those would be the injectors?” She asks quieter, pointing towards the correct objects.

 

   The amethyst just nods.

  

  Peridot doesn’t waste a moment in trying to show the amethyst what she really means. “Where is your incubation hole?”

 

  The amethyst leads the way without her usual gusto or side-chatter.

 

  “...This is the hole you came out of?” Peridot asks, unsurprised.

 

  “Yeah? What about it?”

 

  She nods. “It’s obvious! Just what I expected.” She points to the defective amethyst’s hole, “too small, too low. The exit marks look 500 years newer than every other hole.” She scans the surrounding incubation holes, “this place must have been empty when you came out. No wonder you have no idea what you're supposed to look like!”

 

  Amethyst doesn't even bother to meet her eyes. “I know what I’m supposed to look like. Myself.”

 

  Peridot doesn’t understand the logic behind that statement, “Well it just so turns out you’re defective!” She grins.

 

  The hybrid Connie puts her hand on the amethyst’s shoulder. “Amethyst…”

 

  “Forget it dude. Let’s just go home.”

 

oOoOo

 

  “Amethyst!” Peridot perks up at the sight of her, trying not to give away her ‘punch-line’ with a premature outflow of emotion. “Check out this…” she points to what the Crystal Gems have labeled a ‘microwave,’ “primitive radiation concentrator!”

 

  She suddenly falls to the ground, laughing maniacally and nearly poofing herself. She must admit, this defective planet’s greater range of emotional expressions allows for several instances of very pleasurable experiences...

 

  Almost pleasurable enough for her to almost forget about who she’s talking to, but she doesn't, and looks up at the amethyst for the desired reaction.

 

   “Whatever dude.” 

 

  Glaring at her, the defective amethyst just brushes her off, killing Peridot's 'feels.'  “That was the incorrect response… she muses to herself. Why didn’t the amethyst laugh when I did that?”

 

  She looks around, but finds only the fusion in the kitchen, watching her.

 

  Peridot groans.

 

oOoOo

 

  The defective amethyst doesn’t chaperone her as often as she used to, leaving her alone with either the hybrid abomination, and the fusion abomination as chaperones. (The defective pearl chaperones her only once every dozen cycles or so.)

 

  “Peridot, I’m not the best with this kind of stuff, but I think you hurt her feelings.” The hybrid Connie answers to her question regarding the amethyst, over a game of 'Mineshafter.'

 

  Peridot’s game avatar loses her ‘hit points,’ by breaking a few blocks and falling into a vat of lava. She groans in response. “What exactly do you mean by that?”

 

  “Even I could tell you were being pretty mean to her back at the Kindergarten.”

 

  “Mean? No way! I was being... " _cool"_. The amethyst loved it.” She looks through one of the primitive glass transparent barriers to the outside, on the beach, and takes notice of the defective amethyst just… lying on the sand, doing nothing. Whatever she was doing.

 

  She cracks open one of the said barriers, and calls out to her; “Hey! Amethyst!”

 

  The defective amethyst looks up, and takes notice of her, before making the incorrect response again and looking away.

 

  The homeworld gem, dejected, just sinks to the floor. “Another incorrect response…”

 

 “You feel bad Peridot. That’s how you made _her_ feel.”

 

  Feels… feels were just too complicated! Sure, they could come with enjoyable side-effects, but navigating through the world of these feelings was far too complicated for an undefective gem like her! “Who cares about how she feels? Who cares about any of you! You're all just rocks! Ruddy, muddy, clumps beneath my gravity connectors!” She looks back to the primitive image projection box, and returns to the “Mineshafter-”

 

  “AND WHY DOES IT KEEP SPAWNING MY AVATAR UNDERGROUND TWO BLOCKS FROM LAVA!”

 

oOoOo

 

_defective. a._

 

 

__imperfect or faulty._ _

 

 

  On a whim, she decides to look up another definition in the online Earth lexicon.

 

_jerk. n._

 

 

__A quick, sharp, sudden movement._ _

 

 

 

__A contemptibly obnoxious person._ _

 

 

oOoOo

 

  “Peridot. What happened between you and Amethyst?” The fusion abomination Garnet just randomly decides her one day, on chaperone duty.

 

  “GAH!” Peridot panics, dropping her 'paper craft' experiment to the ground. The perma-fusion had a habit of blending into the background, since the between the perma-fusion and Peridot, they had an unspoken rule of not talking to each other. 

 

  Peridot mumbles to herself, ripping up her crafts. “No! Nothing at all! Other than the fact that the amethyst won’t talk to me for whatever trivial Earthling reason you clods have arbitrarily come up with, absolutely nothing! Nothing at all!”

 

  “I see." Infuriatingly stoic as always. "What happened between the two of you?” The fusion abomination asks.

 

  “Nothing! Absolutely nothing!”

 

  The fusion abomination nods. “Amethyst keeps making excuses not to chaperone you. The two of you have went from talking to absolute silence. And Peridot, as much as you’d like to deny it, you wear your heart on your sleeve.”

 

  Another stupid Earthling metaphor that makes her want to bash the "television" screen in. “What does that mean!?”

 

  “Peridot.” The fusion starts, “That means it’s obvious you feel guilty about whatever happened between the two of you.”

 

  “It... it feels wrong! I don’t want to feel this way!" She admits. "She… she won’t even look at me anymore. Why won’t she look at me?” She shakes her head, “why does the feeling of guilt feel like this?”

 

  “Of course it feels that way. You’re not supposed to feel like that.”

 

  The homeworld gem frowns. “Why do I possess this capacity? What advantages does ‘feeling guilt,’ gain me?”

 

  The fusion abomination grins. Peridot’s sure she’s mocking her. “It lets you know that you care.”

 

  The homeworld gem frowns. All she’s ever known is Homeworld. Everything she’s thought, everything she’s ever done, her entire existence has always been tied to Homeworld one way or another. The thought of just being attached to something on Earth of all the planets, when she, a Peridot is supposed to maintain meticulously and efficiently the form, the purpose, the life she’s been given...

 

  “...Is there a solution?”

 

oOoOo

 

  Let inside the temple interior by the fusion abomination, every single one of Peridot’s sense receptors are wracked with an undeniable tension towards the upcoming encounter with Amethyst.

 

   _“Go with the flow.”_ She had been told. She had no idea what that would entail back then, still has no idea what to do now, and with each step she takes with her gravity connectors, her physical form feels closer to violently poofing from the sheer pressure of these "feels."

 

   "Stupid Earth feels, stupid Earth emotions, stupid Earth..." She grumbles to herself. Following Garnet’s directions through the temple as best she can, Peridot eventually finds (falls) her way into Amethyst’s room, tumbling down a horrid pile of her assorted goods and collectables.

 

  “OW-WHAT-HEY-OW-CLODS-CLODS-CLODS-CLODS-CLODS!”

 

  Her physical form ragdolls to the temple floor below, before landing in a conveniently placed pile of stuffed anthropomorphizations of earth fauna and ‘pillows.’

 

  She gasps a useless breath of air, happy she hadn't landed in a 'weapons' pile created by the defective amethyst's haphazard organization. “Stupid Crystal-Clod architecture… with your inefficient room placement, your haphazard methods of travel, and your…”

 

  Her form flickering, the homeworld gem takes a moment to restabilize and grumble a bit more before picking her form back up and standing upright, only to find the amethyst's form, watching her from another pile.

 

  “Peridot? What the hell are you doing here?” The amethyst asks, likely wondering just what on Earth Peridot is doing in one of her piles-

 

   She jumps. Oh clods. She’s not ready. She doesn’t even know what to say. Is it too late to head back? Would that be the right answer?

 

  “Peridot?” 

 

  “Oh… um, yes. I… I came here to-”

 

  The amethyst frowns, before wearing a scornful look on her face that makes Peridot feel even smaller than before. “Y-you know what, just forget it. If you’re here to show me how ‘defective’ I am, I get it. I’m not in the mood for it-”

 

   _"Go with the flow."_  “That wasn’t what I came here to talk about-”

   

  “Oh? Then what was it Peridot? Does Garnet need me for a mission? Does Connie miss me or something? Tell them I’ll be out when I’m done with my fucking pity-party-”

 

  “Amethyst, wait-"

 

  “Or was it Pearl? Did Pearl want you to talk to me? Does Pearl actually fucking need me for once? Or did I do something shitty again and piss-her-the-fuck off like I’m always doing? How about this; tell Pearl to go fuck herself because-”

 

**“W-would you just listen to me you stupid clod!?”**

  Peridot’s outburst breaks the amethyst from her rant, who crosses her arms in kind.

 

  A brief, uncomfortable silence.

 

  “Well?” The amethyst asks, causing Peridot to jolt.

 

  “I came here to perform an apology!” Peridot blurts out, unsure of whether it was the right answer or not. “And to tell you I am very sorry for…” The green gem pauses for a moment to look at her notepad, “calling you defective, among other accurate, but emotionally insensitive terms!” She nods, hoping that  _that_ was the right answer.

 

  A moment’s silence, followed by a dismissal. “Nice one Peri. Did Pearl or Connie put you up to this?” She waves the Homeworld gem off; “I’m out of here.”

 

 “Uh, _oh no,_ ” the she panics, “w-wait!”    

 

 “Seriously, I’m over it Peri-”

 

 “I’m not!” She screams.

 

  That gets the amethyst’s attention, and the defective gem uncrosses her arms in kind.

 

  “Oh…”Peridot palms her forehead in frustration, “why must you Earthlings be so difficult!” She clears her voice modulator, “Yes, I needed the perma-fusion’s help in understanding that I had hurt you emotionally, and yes, I needed the perma-fusion’s help in understanding what I should say to you. But… even without the perma-fusion’s, I would have noticed the emotional and diplomatic impasse which I had transgressed!”

 

  The amethyst rolls her vision spheres. Peri, can you speak in fucking Basic?”

 

  Peridot groans. “I was wrong to call you defective!”

 

  The purple gem raises an eyebrow.

 

  “I… I was wrong. Because even though I’m right in acknowledging your defective status,”

 

  The amethyst's expression turns briefly hostile-

 

  “...I am no better.” The green gem averts her vision receptacles, missing Amethyst’s display of vulnerability again. “I… I couldn’t even succeed in a basic maintenance check without being captured and being forced to live with the enemy for an indefinite period of time. And I couldn’t even get that right. I hurt you Amethyst… even if it wasn’t in a physical way that can’t be quantified. If I’ve damaged my standing with the best gem on this miserable rock… I don’t know much about this planet, but I know enough to know that I’ve made a serious mistake.”

 

  And just like that, the Homeworld gem doesn’t really know what to do in this instance.

 

  “I’m…” She flips through the pages in the primitive Earth Lexicon afforded to her by the hybrid, before jossing the book. “I’m sorry, Amethyst. I… I hope you can forgive me.” 

 

   The Homeworld gem stares at the ground, unsure how to process these “feels,” just hoping for any kind of positive reaction from the Amethyst-

 

  “Peridot?”

 

  “Yes?” She meeps.

 

  “You shouldn’t let anyone else make you feel like that. Like you have to apologize for being… you. You’re still learning. As a gem from Homeworld, whatever the hell they have going on up there. I forgot that I guess.”

 

  She feels… smaller again. Both good and bad. Good in that now she feels like she’s talking to the Amethyst again, and not on a purely mechanical level. Bad in that she’s still just a Homeworld gem in her eyes. “Oh…”

 

  “And… Peridot?”

 

  “Y-yes?”

 

  Amethyst pulls her into an embrace.  “...Thanks. It really means a lot to me, you know?”

 

  She just nods, unsure as to what's happening. For some reason, this form of physical contact makes her feel… warm.

 

   And nice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> full credit goes to crystal-peridot (captaintomysky) and their amedot fanfic Defective, for the inspiration of the dictionary scene. Seriously, go check Defective out, even if you don’t ship amedot, it’s still supremely good, and way better than any schlock I could possibly turn out.
> 
> Next chapter will be a return to Connie, likely an adaptation of back to the barn.


	13. Pretty as a Pearl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As tensions mount between Pearl and Peridot, Connie, Amethyst take their captive out to keep her from fighting with Pearl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> behold, i have produced more of this shlock

**A darkness found only within the depths of the ocean. A loneliness found only by those who seek it.**

 

**She sinks, and sinks, and sinks until the waters around her engulf her miles from shore. It is a prison of irony; her natural element is now what chains her, what tethers her to her-**

 

**The flora and fauna seem to mock her. Taunting her with how free they are. A flora has never experienced the pain of having everything that mattered taken from you, only to be ground up into dust at your feet. Spit on, buried in the ground. Dug back up, it’s rotting corpse lit aflame.**

 

**A flora doesn’t even have the capacity to ever feel that pain.**

 

**A fauna doesn’t live the life complex enough to ever feel that pain.**

 

**She wishes someone could understand.**

 

**She wishes they could understand.**

 

**She wishes you-**

 

**thE IntErrOgAtIOn wIll cOntInUE In-**

 

oOoOo

 

  “Bad dream Connie?” Amethyst gently slugs her shoulder, having noticed her groggy mood.

 

  The half-gem nods in weary agreement, groggy eyed and winded from her nightmare last night. “Yep.” Under other circumstances, the prospect of an underwater excursion by bathysphere would have excited the half-gem. Her nightmare’s drained all such prospective energy from her.

 

  Amethyst frowns, rubbing against her hair to wake her up, “Sleeping’s always good for me, so that must suck for you.”

 

  The half-gem yawns, rapping her fingers against the bathysphere’s surface to keep her awake. “You don’t have dreams Amethyst?”

 

  “Well… yeah, but whenever a dream of mine gets all janked up, I just… stop. Must suck that people can’t just clock out whenever things get weird.

 

  “What exactly are you two talking about?” Peridot asks, attention currently captured by a bed of kelp. Connie yawns again, sound amplified by the bubble surrounding them, causing Pearl to cover her ears.

 

  “Did we really need to bring _everyone_ on this mission Garnet? Since the Bubble can only hold so many people?”

 

  The Dry Bubble. Not referring to bubbling, a power inherent to every gem, but a transparent, impermeable bathysphere propelled by the bodily motions of it’s inhabitants. Manufactured to specifically cater to higher ranking Homeworld gems that would never be caught shattered soaking their physical forms with putrid, unfiltered water, contaminated by _organic_ life.

 

  “We need Peridot so we can identify what’s valuable from the wreck, and what isn’t. Otherwise, we’ll be making return trips for months on end.” Garnet replies, referring to the wreckage of the crashed Red Eye resting on the depths of Beach City Bay.

 

  “So why did y’all need us?” Amethyst groans, referring to her and the half-gem.

 

  “Just in case we need a quick escape, you’ll shapeshift into something… floatable. And fast. Connie,” she grins, “I felt would want to come with us.”

 

  Connie smiles, though still trying to ward off her exhaustion.

 

  The mission: salvage anything useful from the sunken wreckage of the Red Eye, almost half a year after it’s initial sinking.

 

  Though all four gems were simply capable of simply walking to the wreckage from the beach, Pearl had… strong objections to soaking her form in said putrid beachfront organic water for extended periods of time. Peridot, even more so.

 

  “Though I have made… concessions,” Peridot comments, “regarding the ability of Earth to produce _aesthetically pleasing_ landscapes, I feel obliged to comment on our current surroundings. The underwater is visually atrocious.” A discarded soda can floats past their bathysphere as if to accentuate her point.

 

  “That’s because we’re near the coast. And near a human settlement.” Garnet adds. “Humans have a tendency of taking the easy way out when it comes to disposing of their waste.”

 

  Peridot winces. “How wasteful. Why you clods continue to protect the Earth when humans seem bent on ruining it themselves is beyond me.” She muses, as she observes a migrating school of plastic bags.

 

  The half-gem can’t help but agree with some of the  Homeworld gem’s comments, given her personal frustrations with what Pearl herself has termed the _“imminent man-made climate crisis.”_

 

  “This isn’t a very good example of Earth’s underwater landscapes.” Pearl adds, earning an eye roll from Peridot. “There are a plethora of locations I’ve personally found to be quite visually majestic, some of which the humans have documented.”

 

  Amethyst snickers, “Peri, if you want to see some of that scenery, we should watch Planet Earth some time.”

 

  The homeworld gem raises an eyebrow. “Planet Earth?”

 

  “It’s a movie. About plants and animals and landscapes and stuff. It’s pretty boring, but I’ve got some stuff that’ll make watching it an experience.”

 

  “What… stuff?”

 

   Amethyst just grins at her. The Homeworld gem awkwardly grins back.

 

  “While I will accept your offer… Amethyst,” she carefully voices out, “I highly doubt your ‘Planet Earth’ would be able to match the majesty of a _properly_ planned and managed water world.”

 

  “What would that look like?” Connie asks, starry eyed.

 

  Peridot clears her throat, “Well-”

 

  “I’ll explain!” Pearl jumps in, just as starry eyed as her pupil, before embarking on a brief review of Earth’s architectural history. _(covered in a ten-module learning schema by Pearl a few months or so ago,)_ Drawing comparisons from the relevant architectural style whenever Pearl’s wide vocabulary fails her to illustrate how much humanity has ‘ripped off’ from architectural discoveries and whatever kernels of knowledge the gems ‘leak’ to them from century to century.

 

  “Which is where the Roman and Art Deco architectural styles even originated from in the first place. Art historians frequently give far too much credit to ‘human creativity,’ when it comes to speculating on the origins of architectural waves and movements.” Pearl laughs haughtily, a tad high on a power trip, prompting Amethyst to roll her eyes.

 

  The half-gem still has stars in her eyes. “Did you ever get to see one of these ocean worlds in person?”

 

  The alabaster gem freezes. “That’s… a story for another time.” She forces a laugh, looking for something to change the subject, “Perhaps Peridot would be able to shine a light on several details I’ve missed?”

 

  The Homeworld gem breaks her silence. “Did I need to be interrupted?”

 

   The alabaster gem frowns. “...Excuse me?”

 

 Just like that, the tension in the bathysphere flares up. Peridot interrogates her with her gaze, “I was clear with what I said. Did. I. Need to be interrupted?”

 

  And unfortunately for everyone else, Pearl’s shot right up there with Peridot. Seconds from exploding and bursting her bubble (literally), “Now you listen here, you… you tiny twerp! In case you’ve forgotten, you're on our turf now! And I didn't fight a thousand-year war for this planet's independence just so I could be informed when and when not to speak from the likes of _you_!”

 

  “Peridot...” Connie grates, trying to pull the Homeworld gem away, but the bathysphere’s too cramped to allow more than one step or two back.

 

  Peridot laughs. “I’ll never be able to understand why you allow your Pearl to clod around like this!”

 

  “She’s _not our_ pearl. She’s Pearl, and that’s the way it _should_ be.” Connie glares at her.

 

  Peridot, unfazed, clears her throat. “Perhaps you can see my logic Connie. I, though a lowly Peridot, am a natural made technician, while you,” she waggles a finger at an increasingly-about-to-explode Pearl, “are a made-to-order servant, just like all the other Pearls on Homeworld. Our designated roles have a clear hierarchy, with you, Pearl, at the bottom. Whatever adaptability the Pearl has managed to display so far is just that. Adaptability. A lowly Pearl, clodding around in the dust of others, desperately trying to pick up whatever crumbs the gems who actually know their roles leave behind.”

 

  “Peridot,” Garnet tries, before Pearl chucks Peridot out of the bathysphere _(if she herself doesn’t do it first,)_ “that’s enough-”

 

  “And who do you belong to anyways, if not them?” Peridot surmises, digging her hole deeper, and eliciting a facepalm from Connie.

 

  “Stop it,” Pearl growls through barely clenched teeth. Peridot doesn’t get it.

 

  “If you don’t belong to anyone, then what are you for?”

 

  Pearl moves to throttle the green gem by the neck, only to be pre-empted by Amethyst holding Peridot from behind, “Alright, not in here! If you two are going to fight, do it on the surface. Not in here, where I can barely breathe with the four of you in here!”

 

  “Amethyst,” Peridot struggles, “you’re a quartz too-!”

 

  “Would you just shut up for ten seconds?!" Amethyst glares at her to drop the subject. "You can be all Homeworld back on the surface, when Garnet isn’t three seconds from clobbering you back up there!”

 

  “If you three won’t behave, I will turn this bathysphere around.” Garnet states, having regained her composure.

 

  The other three Crystal gems nod in agreement, eliciting a laugh from the Peridot. “See, even in your informal organization, the three of you clods have a clear leader-”

 

  “Especially _you_ Peridot.”

 

  The Homeworld gem just meeps in response.

 

oOoOo

 

  After the mission, against her instincts, she asks Pearl in her room if she can talk more about Pearls. Pearl freezes, nearly dropping the salvaged propulsion engine she’s been working so hard to carefully derust over the past hour or so.

 

  “You don’t have to answer, I-” she falters, “this… probably wasn’t a good idea! Curiosity and all-”

 

  “I-is this about Peridot?” Pearl quietly asks.

 

  She nods, guilty, “I... was just wondering, if you were comfortable of course! If you could elaborate more on pearls and Homeworld… we went over this a… really long time ago, and I curious… what Peridot meant about you being subservient.”

 

  Pearl sets down the engine, and invites Connie to sit down, summoning a bench from a pool of water with a snap of her fingers. “We’ve discussed this before. Pearls are akin to slaves on Homeworld, lacking any of the relative autonomy and liberties granted to other types of gems.” She pauses, unsure if she should continue, “Perhaps a more appropriate allegory would be to the concubines of Imperial China.”

 

  “I... see. What makes you different from other Pearls?”

 

  A faraway look. “...I don’t wish to talk about it Connie.”

 

  Connie nods. “I understand. Thanks Pearl.”

 

  Pearl nods as well, and takes some time to regain her bearings before cleaning her arms off to pull Connie into a hug. “Thank you Connie. For… defending me.”

 

  “Pearl?”

 

  “I’m sorry for fighting with Peridot. It’s… it’s just taken so much for me to become what I am today, that when I have to talk to Peridot… it feels as if everything’s coming back. As if nothing’s changed. All the progress I’ve made during the rebellion, when I was with your mother while she was still on earth…” She swallows hard, musing what to say.

 

  “It… all feels like everything’s crumbling whenever I talk to Peridot. I hope you understand. I know you and Amethyst are getting her to grow closer to you two, but it feels like she’s beyond hope.”

 

  “I understand. Peridot was being a jerk, but… she’s made so much progress in the past month. Maybe… maybe if we introduced her to more human stuff?” She muses into Pearl’s shoulder.

 

  The alabaster gem breaks off the hugs, before scratching the back of her head. It’s rare for the alabaster gem to open up to her like this; she’s put on a professional demeanor for so long, it’s sometimes hard for her to remember that there’s more to Pearl than _Pearl, the mother hen._

 

  “You’re so much like your mother at times…”

  

oOoOo

 

**A darkness found only within the depths of space. A loneliness found only by those unfortunate.**

 

**Chained to the walls around her, chained to her surroundings. Her past will never leave her.**

 

 **When** **THEY** **come,** **THEY** **ask questions. Questions she doesn’t know the answer to, that she wishes she didn’t know the answer to, that she doesn’t know if she knows the answer to.**

 

 **THEY** **come.** **THEY** **come, drag you out of your cold, miserable cell and-**

 

**“LAPIS!”**

 

 

 

 

  She stirs violently, she’s back home. In bed. Where she should be sleeping, accompanied only by her bedding and the watchful eye of Pearl.

 

  “Pearl?”

 

  “Lapis?” Pearl asks, clearly confused by Connie’s outburst.

 

  Groggy eyed and not a morning person, the half-gem groans. “It was just a dream Pearl…” She frowns, realizing she had an audience. “Wait, are you still watching me when I sleep!?”

 

  The alabaster gem wordlessly walks away.

 

  “Pearl!?”

 

oOoOo

 

  Trying to decipher the circuitry of the recovered salvage proves to be a much harder task than Pearl initially expected. It’s not that Pearl doesn’t understand circuitry and electronics; it’s just that the methodology used by Homeworld is absolutely foreign; the alabaster gem compares it to the historical evolution of modern day French from Latin. Ancient, 200 B.C.E. Latin.

 

  What they are certain of, confirms Peridot’s testimony; Homeworld has long advanced technology-wise since the rebellion. Exactly how advanced, the gems don’t have an estimate.

 

  “What exactly is this strange ritual?”

 

  The Homeworld gem appears to be completely enraptured by whatever’s playing on the T.V, whether out of mockery or derision. Probably a combination of both.

 

  “Aren’t you supposed to be helping Pearl analyze the salvage?” Connie poses to Peridot, tweaking with a recovered circuitry board.

 

  “This broadcast playing on the ‘television,’ caught my attention.”

  

_“On the last episode of Camp Pining Hearts…”_

 

_“Percy, meet with me on the south shore.  I know we can make this work.”_

 

_“Pierre, that’s when I have to meet Paulette at the cafeteria-”_

 

  “Oh, that’s just some T.V. show. I… have no idea what it’s about, honestly.”

 

  As if to answer their questions, both Percy and Pierre on screen lean in for a kiss. Romance.

 

  “What are they doing?”

 

  Connie blushes, distracted enough that her circuitry board catches fire for whatever reason. “Uh… that’s…”

 

  “Hey nerds.” Amethyst struts on in from the town. “Yo Connie, your stuff’s on fire.”

 

  “IT IS!?”

 

  “I’ll get it.” The violet gem stretches her arm out to grab hold of the circuitry, before consuming it whole, fire and everything.

 

  Connie grumbles, “I was working on that…”

 

  The temple doors open; out comes Pearl. “Peridot, I thought I told you I need you inside my room so you can help me-” Her attention falls to Peridot’s current object of interest, and she blushes lightly. “You’re… interested in this? Peridot?”

 

  The Homeworld gem jumps. “No! How could anyone indulge in this? Baseless drivel, I’ll have no part of it!”

 

   _“How could you Percy? You couldn’t even do your job, what you were here for! You’ve broken your pact with your fellow campers, you’ve broken the reason why you came here, you’ve even broken my heart!”_

 

_“Pierre…” (they kiss again)_

 

The Homeworld gem just freezes, her attention captive to the show again, before audibly sniffling.

 

  “Peridot…?” Connie tries to nudge the Homeworld gem, but fails to get a response.

 

  “Nothing.” She meeps out. “Just leave me alone. Especially you _Pearl_.”

 

oOoOo

 

  “She’s been obsessed with that television show since yesterday.” Connie points to the captive green gem, still visibly entranced by the Camp Pining Hearts weekly marathon.

 

  “I don’t know what to do Garnet,” Pearl sighs, placing a bag of ice over her gem, “I can’t crack it. None of this circuitry makes any sense.”

 

  “Talk to Peridot. We need to understand how far Homeworld is past us technology wise, and how to use this technology when we need to fight back.” Garnet orders.

 

  Pearl looks incredibly reluctant, trying to object, but making an incredibly unpearl-like sound. “Do… you really think Peridot would ever be willing to help me out?”

 

  The fusion shrugs. “Not my problem yet. Go figure it out Pearl. Everyone else is making strides but you.”

 

  Pearl shrinks, before groaning.

 

  “Come on Pearl… Peridot’s becoming cooler than she was when she first came here…” Amethyst stops, “okay, not really, but you know what I mean!”

 

  “Pearl.” Garnet places a hand on her shoulder.

 

  “Garnet?”

 

  “I know it’s hard. But Peridot’s made great progress since she’s started living with us. At the very least, do this because we need the information.”

 

  Pearl nods. “Right. I’m a Crystal Gem. Rose… Rose would also have given her a chance.”

 

  That gets a smile out of Garnet.“Go get ‘em Pearl.”

 

   The alabaster gem nods, before approaching Peridot, who hasn’t noticed a thing.

 

  “Garnet, you really think Pearl will be able to talk to Peridot?” Connie whispers.

 

  “... Probably not.” Garnet admits.

 

  “Maybe it’ll be funny?” Amethyst whispers, to which Garnet shakes her head.

 

  Pearl clears her throat. “Ahem. Peridot?”

 

  No vocal acknowledgement, but Peridot cracks an eye in her direction.

 

  She clears her throat again. “I’ve been working on deciphering the circuitry from what we’ve salvaged, and I’ve hit a dead end. I… require your help, in understanding how the red eye’s circuitry works.”

 

  “Oh? So you admit that there are things outside of the limitations of a Pearl’s abilities?”

 

  “Yep. This was a mistake.” Garnet whispers.

 

  “Excuse me?”

 

  Apparently, the chance to insult Pearl breaks Peridot from her trance.

 

  “I am **asking** for you to assist me in deciphering how the circuitry of a Red Eye works, since it’s clear that in the several millennia since the rebellion, Homeworld’s technological capacity has long since surpassed my own. If you won’t assist me with this, then I’ll just have to decipher this own my own.”

 

  Peridot laughs at her. “You can’t even get your prisoner to cooperate! Face it, _Pearl_ , you’re just not cut out for this. _You_ ,” she waves an accusatory finger, “were made to take orders, not give them.”

 

  That does it. “You tiny green, insolent little-”

 

  “Pearl can do everything you can, and more.” Connie yells at her from the kitchen. “She’s taught me everything about Earth science, swordsmanship, and everyday she works hard to be a better version of herself than before. What reason could you possibly have that makes you think Pearl can’t do any of what you said?”

 

  Peridot facepalms. “Because pearls aren't _for_ this! They're for standing around, and looking nice, and holding your stuff for you!” She scoffs, “You know what, if you want me to help you out so bad, maybe I will help you. It’ll be as if I’m owning a Pearl.” She laughs, “A peridot owning a pearl, what would they have thought back home?”

 

  Peridot looks blissfully unaware of how much the energy in the room has turned against her. In a repeat of the mission, the alabaster gem moves to throttle the green gem by the neck, only for Peridot to be saved last minute by Amethyst.

 

  “Alright, I’ll take Peridot for now, since you two can’t be together. Connie, you with me?” Amethyst intervenes, dragging the Homeworld gem away from Pearl, who briefly sputters, then seethes in response.

 

  The half-gem follows. “I guess? I thought we were heading into the town later today though-”

 

  “Make sure she doesn’t leave the established perimeters!” Pearl orders.

 

  Amethyst waves her off, before glaring at Peridot once they’re outside on the patio. “Geezus Peri, I know pissing her off is fun and all, but can’t you shut up about Homeworld for ten seconds around Pearl…?”

 

  “It’s not my fault that the Pearl refuses to see reason.” Peridot grumbles, crossing her arms as Amethyst drags her outside of the house, Connie in tow.

 

  “Where exactly are we going anyways? There’s only so much of the ‘beach’ I can see.”

 

  “We’re gonna go somewhere fun, where you and Pearly won’t be able to strangle each others’ throats. Outside of the fence.” Amethyst smiles wickedly, dragging Peridot closer and closer to the established perimeter.

 

  “...Outside of the established boundaries?” Peridot panics.

 

  “Don’t worry P-pod, we’ll be back before they notice. And if they get mad, I’ll take the heat, okay? Besides, I’m sure Garnet would understand.”

 

  “Wait Amethyst, we’re taking her with us to Funland?” Connie asks, to which Amethyst nods.

 

  “...Fun...Land?”

 

  “It’s an amusement park. For amusement? For amusing the… the… sensory-whatever you call it faculties?” Amethyst gestures, trying to speak in Peridot’s nerd tongue.

 

  “A public space dedicated for the amusement of whoever attends?” Peridot raises an eyebrow.

 

  “Yeah! Probably. Come on!”

 

oOoOo

 

  The trip to Funland is marked by Peridot critiquing every detail she observes with how Beach City is organized, _“I wasn’t programmed for architecture, but even I can tell the amount of space you humans are forced to dedicate for your primitive motorized vehicles is absurd!”_ to the point where Connie wonders whether she should teach her how to play _Cities: Horizons._

 

She isn’t wrong with half her observations though, Connie notices.

 

“And here we are!” Amethyst gestures to the Funland entrance.

 

  “You… brought me to a sign.” Peridot observes.

 

  “Nah nah,” Amethyst places her hands on Peridot’s back, making her squeak, “you’ve got to go inside,” before pushing her into the amusement park.

 

  She’s only been here twice before, once because a gem monster had disguised itself amongst one of the many “win a prize” carnival games, the other being during the fall with Steven. She distinctly remembers nearly getting sick, partly from overloading on sweets, winning Steven too many prizes for them to carry back home, and being sad that the ferris wheel had broken down for the day back then.

 

  “Ahem.” Amethyst leans against a food stand, staffed by a (clearly) exhausted tall, bald man with a dark complexion. “Churro. Extreme size.”

 

  Wearing a moustache which serves to highlight his (plastered on) bright and shining smile, the stand worker greets her uncannily, “Sure!” Serving up the ludicrously engorged Mexican pastry to the violet gem, he doesn’t even blink twice when she swallows the larger-than-her churro whole.

 

  Peridot shivers. “Why do you do that?”

 

  Amethyst licks her fingers, before taking Peridot by the hand, causing the poor gem to wince. “It’s fun. Stuff tastes good, so I eat it. Why else would I do it?” She hands the cashier a sticky wad of cash from her gem, “you two want any?”

 

  Connie holds up one finger, Peridot nods warily, and before long the green gem is nursing her extra small wrapped churro warily, unsure whether she should consume it or not.

 

  “Why is it so sticky?”

 

  “That’s the sugar Peri. Or the oil they fry it in. Makes it taste good. Right Connie?”

 

  The half-gem, still chewing, throws her a thumbs up, wiping her lips of sugar.

 

  Peridot just groans, before shoving down the treat down her mouth whole. “Ugh…”

 

  Amethyst notices, worrying. “Taste bad?”

 

  The Homeworld gem jumps a little. “Um...No.” She goes quiet.

 

  “Peridot,” Connie jumps in, “You do know you can take your food in portions, right?” She shows her half-eaten churro, which the green gem readily inspects.

 

  “There are multiple ways of eating?”

 

  “Yeah. Amethyst usually swallows everything whole-”

 

  “-oh.”

 

  “But it’s better if you take your food in bites. Manageable portions.”

 

  She stares at her empty wrapper, still covered with sugar. “I see.” She blankly says, disconnected from the rest of the world.

 

  “Hey Peri, can I have your wrapper?” Amethyst asks, to which she acquiesces. The violet gem balls up the wrapper before throwing it in her mouth as well.

 

  Peridot tries to hide her disgust, but says nothing.

 

  “What? You used to me eating stuff that’s not food yet?”

 

  “Yes.” Peridot answers, to which Amethyst stifles a groan from the one-word response.

 

  “What… is that?” Peridot points at the theme park’s centerpiece attraction; the Appalachian, AKA the the other half of the reason why Connie had nearly thrown up during her visit here with Steven.

 

  Amethyst perks up. “That’s a roller coaster dude. It’s _the most_ fun thing in Funland.”

 

  “...A primitive speed pattern transportation circuit?” Peridot asks warily.

 

  Amethyst sighs. “Can you stop ruining everything with your nerd words? Come on!”

 

  As the three of them approach The Appalachian, the ride’s signature school bell rings loudly, and Peridot tenses up.

 

  The ride entrance lacks a staff, until the same man from the food stands hastily rushes over to them, getting behind the stand.

 

  “Uh… three please?” Amethyst scratches her head.

 

  “Sure! Just... come... over here and... let me... measure... your heights.” He says in between ragged  breaths, pointing towards a height measure.

 

  Both Connie and Amethyst straight up fail to measure up to the minimum height, Peridot nearly passes due to her hair, eliciting the man to press his hands on her it to use her skull as a measure.

 

  Connie just glares at him for touching her hair unsolicited, while Peridot seethes with rage, straightening her hair and throwing her hands up in frustration.

 

  “Ha-ha! Sorry, guys. Looks like this squad has some growing to do before you can ride.”

 

  “DO. NOT TOUCH ME WITH YOUR FILTHY TOUCH STUMPS YOU DISGUSTING ORGANIC! I do _not_ have to grow. This height is indicative of my rarity and importance. I demand entry, you CLOD!”

 

  The ride operator clears his throat. “You kids want a lifetime ban?”

 

  Connie swiftly pulls Peridot away before she can cause trouble. “Peridot, let me try.” She clears her throat, “so… I’m guessing you’re the only person who works in this park?”

 

  He answers, smile still plastered on his face. She wonders what he’s taking for him to smile so widely for so long. “Yep! Haven’t seen a bed in an entire week! You can say we’re a bit… ‘fun-derstaffed.’”

 

   _“Is it worker exploitation if the victim is both owner, manager, and victim?” Connie wonders to herself._

 

 “So I’m guessing you’re the mechanic for this place?”

 

  “Yep! Janitor, mechanic, inspector, everything!”

 

  She grins to him. “And are you sure that’s exactly legal? It does seem a bit unlikely that a person such as yourself would have the necessary credentials in food service, ride maintenance, business management, advertising, and otherwise _all at once._ ”

 

  A beat.

 

  “You know what? As the proud owner of this establishment, I can be a bit flexible with the rules.” He unlocks the entrance to the ride, “You kids have fun.”

 

  As the three of them strap in their seat-belts, Connie makes a note to tip off the relevant government organization first thing when she gets home.

 

  The ride is… fun, but unimpressive to her for the most part. She already gets to feel like she’s on a roller coaster on a weekly basis from missions; why would she gain anything new from being strapped in on a linear, no-context adventure specifically designed for a calculated amount of g’s and adrenaline flies past her.

 

  It’s still fun, but it’s something for her to think about. And that’s more than Peridot can say, who just looks uncomfortable the whole ride, holding onto Amethyst the entire time, who doesn’t seem to take notice.

 

  “Wasn’t that fun?” Amethyst asks her once they’re off.

 

  “Oh. Um, yes.” She admits.

 

  “That’s good. Where should we go now?”

 

  She doesn’t answer.

 

  “Peri?” Amethyst pokes.

 

  Peridot looks at her.

 

  “Having fun?” Amethyst grins.

 

  “Yes.”

 

  Amethyst looks at her bluntly, before sighing. “You’re not having fun.” She drags her to a bench, “you wanna tell me what’s going on?”

 

  It takes a while for her to answer. “...Why do you prioritize my well-being so much?”

 

  Amethyst quizzically looks at her. “I brought you here to get away from Pearl. And you’re my friend. Even if you’re a bit of a nerd. Why wouldn’t I want you to have fun?”

 

  “Friend?”

 

  “Yeah, me and Connie are your friends. And Garnet’s starting to warm up to you. And before you know it…” Amethyst looks like she wants to complete a thought, but whatever it is is dropped at the last moment.

 

  Peridot sighs. “I’m… I’m not used to this. Any of this. Being on Earth.” She looks at her, then turns away, as if looking at Amethyst is making her sick. “Why did you stop?”

 

  “Stop what?”

 

  “Holding my hand.”

 

  Amethyst flushes violet briefly, before regaining her composure, shaking her hair out. “Oh. I got… distracted.” She pauses for a moment to think. “Shit, was that bothering you?”

 

  “I…” She looks down. “Yes.”

 

  Amethyst brushes her fingers in her long, mangy hair. “Shit, I forgot you Homeworld gems don’t like being touched. Peridot, I’m sorry. I… you have any other boundaries you wanna tell me about? I won’t judge.”

 

  “No Amethyst.” She blushes, trying not to look at Amethyst in the eye.

 

  Another pause, broken this time by Connie.

 

  “Peridot, are you like this right now because we’re… me and Connie are supposed to ‘outrank’ you on Homeworld?” She inducts.

 

  No answer, no hint of acknowledgement.

 

  Amethyst pats her on the back. “Listen Peridot, you know that’s not how we work. This is Earth. You can do whatever you want, like whatever the heck you want. Well… do whatever you want, as long as it’s in the perimeter… look, I’ll talk to Pearl and Garnet about letting me show you around other places.” She grins. “We’re not Homeworld Peri. We’re not those types of gems.”

  Peridot wordlessly nods in acknowledgement.

 

  “There anything you like Peri? Anything you wanna do?” Amethyst asks.

 

  An uncomfortably long pause.

 

  “I…” Peridot starts, “Um… I like it when you touch me.”

 

  Amethyst flushes. Connie struggles to hold back a laugh.

 

   Then Amethyst bursts out laughing.

 

  “What!?”

 

  It takes her a while for her to stop laughing before patting her on the back. “Peri… god, jeez, sometime when Connie’s not around, okay?”

 

  Peridot groans. “I honestly don’t see the point of why you’ve brought me here.. Each contraption here seems like a needlessly complicated way to waste one’s time, made especially egregious by the fact that the human lifespan is so pathetically short.”

 

  “Okay, now you’re sounding like Pearl.”

 

  Peridot glares at the playful accusation. “I do not sound anything like her-” She freezes.

 

  “Peridot? What’s wrong-” Connie turns to see what’s captured Peridot’s attention; a large, green, glowing alien plush doll out of reach, conveniently behind a ring toss game.

 

  “Connie! Amethyst! Look at this being! Its large head, swollen with thoughts! Those compassionate eyes. It understands. I need it. NOW!”

 

  “Peridot, that’s a prize.” Connie explains. “You need to win it by playing.”

 

  Once more, the ride operator-food stall worker rushes over to the ring toss stand, completely out of breath, and sounding like he's three seconds from an asthma attack.

 

  “Maybe we could just take the doll without playing?” Amethyst quietly muses, to which Connie slugs her.

 

  “Three please.” The exhausted jack-of-all trades complies, handing them three stacks of rings each, and pocketing Connie’s cash.

 

  “So… how do you ‘play?’” Peridot asks.

 

  The jack-of-all trades tries to open his mouth, but just ends up collapsing on the floor. “Don’t… worry… I’m just fine down here…”

 

  “Uh… if you say so?” Connie answers back, before turning to Peridot. “The rules say that if you get one ring around one of those bottles, you get the big prize.”

 

  Peridot nods, before chucking all three stacks at the bottles. Her aim is off as well, going straight for the bottles,, and predictably knocking all of them over. To the ground. Where they break.

 

  “I win!”

 

  Amethyst bursts out laughing, and the half-gem has to stifle a laugh. “You… Peridot,”

 

  “What you three just won, is a lifetime ban!” The jack-of-all trades gets up, and stares down the Homeworld Gem.

 

  “A… a lifetime ban? This… is ridiculous! Nobody bans me, a peridot under Yellow Diamond’s service!”

 

  It doesn't faze him in the slightest. “Well you just got banned pal.”

 

  “You… you have clearly designed this game to be unwinnable, you… RIP-OFF ARTIST!”

 

   Then she kicks him in the shin.

 

  “OW, MY SHIN!”

 

oOoOo

 

  One lifetime ban later…

 

  “Okay, that was not cool, but it was also really funny, which makes what you pulled back there pretty freaking cool.” Amethyst cackles, having thrown the park security (again, the same man,) into the ocean upon his very brief attempt to throw them out.

 

  “Yes. Continue to make fun of my existential plight and despair.” Peridot muses, carrying her desired _(stolen)_ plush doll in tow.

 

  “Alright, something’s still bothering you.” Amethyst stops the group, and motions for Peridot to sit down with her on a nearby bench, which the green gem tepidly accepts.

 

  “There is absolutely nothing bothering me.” Peridot crosses her arms, refusing to look her in the eye.

 

  “Look, the only reason I risked getting my ass being yelled at by Garnet was so you could get away from Pearl!? Is it her?”

 

  “Pearl? No, absolutely nothing about the defective, neurotic pearl who thinks she’s so above her post. Nothing about that at all, from the way she speaks to me, from the way she thinks she can order me around, from the way she carries herself…” She nearly throttles her _(stolen)_ prize to communicate her anger. “AAARAGH!”

 

  “I thought I told you _to at least try_ to move past this Peri.”

 

  “Yes, but it’s so… so inconceivable that a Pearl like her would be acting this way that I just can’t move past it! The way she treats me, _me_ , a perfectly designed, made-to-order peridot who served her diamond faithfully, now being ordered around by a… a _fusion_ and a _defective_ rebel pearl…”

 

  “You think you’re the only one with problems with Pearl?” Amethyst seethes.

 

  “Yes! And noone, not even you, could ever come close to understanding my despair as to my situation-”

 

  Amethyst grips her by the collar of her jumpsuit.

 

  “A-Amethyst?” Peridot starts to shrink a little.

 

  “You. Don’t. Know. Anything. About. Pearl. All you know is what those Homeworld Gems told you. So sure, you might know a couple of things about your fancy circuitry technology, but you only won because you’re programmed to!”

 

  Peridot tries to stammer out, “B-but she’s just a common Pearl!”

 

  “Everything Pearl can build, everything Pearl can do, she taught herself, because she chose to. She’s the best damn swordswoman in the entire world, she’s so smart it physically hurts to talk to her because she just nerds out half the time, and she’s so infuriating to talk to, you… you…” Her face glows dark violet in frustration. “You understand that Peridot? She. Chose. To. Be. Defective. Unlike _you_ , who got everything in your life shoved down your throat from day friggin one. So yeah, you can say you’re all high and mighty above us, but that’s only because you’re programmed to!”

 

  Peridot freezes.

  
  “Just… I don’t even know why I bother with you sometimes.” Amethyst grumbles, before heading off. “Connie, can you take Peridot back home? I need a break from everything.”

 

  The half-gem’s spent her time watching on in a mixture of fear and awe. Amethyst rarely gets angry about _anything (other than Pearl, and even then, it’s been a while,)_ and much like Pearl, it’s hard to imagine her outside of her ‘default’ setting.

 

   Peridot tries for her. “A-Amethyst, wait-”

 

  “Forget it dude. I’m done. I’m clocking out for the day.”

 

  The ocean trembles.

 

  Everyone freezes.

 

  Something screeches. From the depths of the sea, a giant worm-like monster bursts from the shallow waters of the beachfront, tunneling directly towards Peridot. At the end of it’s thin, worm-like body lies the head, enlarged with a circular maw, toothy and bloodied. Within the mouth, a red gem. Body colored light brown, with scattered spots of different hues of blue and purple across it. It’s frame is coated in a translucent, shiny coating that forms three tentacles near it’s mouth.

 

  “Gem monster!” Connie summons her sword, but the Worm Monster just charges past her, straight for Peridot and almost swallowing up the green gem whole, had it not been for a vault to the left on her part.

 

  “PERIDOT!”

 

  Amethyst draws her whip from her gem and furiously cracks her whip against the Worm Monster.

 

  If anything the two of them are doing are having any effect on the monster, it’s not apparent. The coating just glances off every blow against it, despite the ample time afforded to the both of them by the monster’s tunnel vision on Peridot.

 

  “Why isn’t this working!” Amethyst lassoes the monster’s head, but ends up being the one taken for a ride; the monster just pulls her form along, ragdolling like a kite.

 

  “SOMEBODY SAVE ME FROM THIS WRETCHED BEAST!” Peridot screams.

 

 The homeworld gem tries to climb atop several rocks perched on the beachfront, but struggles to traverse them before the Worm Monster can snatch her up whole-

 

  “GYAAAH!”

 

  Suddenly, a blur. Snatching the Homeworld gem from the Worm Monster’s maw is a form of teal which whips past the Worm Monster before it can properly react, carrying Peridot to relative safety.

 

  “My body construct cannot take this amount of adrenaline in one sitting.” Peridot grumbles, eyes dizzy as Pearl sets her down.

 

  “Peridot.” Pearl’s physical form has sustained a direct gash in her back, ripping the back of her top into two, false teal blood generously dripping from the open wound. Are you alright?”

 

  Peridot grumbles, causing Pearl to roll her eyes. “I thought we made it clear that Peridot wasn’t allowed to leave the temple premises!” She shouts at Amethyst, still being taken for a ride.

 

  “NOT THE TIME FOR THIS P. How were we supposed to know this was going to happen!?” Amethyst yells back, as she tries to pull on the lasso, only for the monster to shriek in response.

 

  The Worm Monster readies, charging at Peridot again; before the green gem has time to complain, her attacker is intercepted by a blunt force; Garnet’s fists, pummeling the worm monster into the rock bed. It hisses painfully in response, it’s coating flickering, but the monster does not poof; instead lashing out at Garnet, forcing the fusion on the defensive.

 

  “HEY!” Connie taunts the monster, before throwing sand into it’s gaping maw. “Choke on this!”

 

  The Worm Monster coughs and hacks up sand, repulsive, but effective enough to buy the fusion and half-gem enough time to unleash a torrent of blows onto the monster’s body.

 

  It’s a no sell. The coating makes the Worm Monster nigh invulnerable.

 

  “What do we do! This isn’t working!” The half-gem panics, as the Worm Monster regains it’s composure, and charges after Peridot _again_.

 

  “WHY ME!?”

 

  Pearl freezes. “Peridot! Your plush doll! It glows in the dark!”

 

  “AN EXCELLENT OBSERVATION PEARL!”

 

  Connie freezes. “It eats glowy things!”

 

  “GYAH! Why must my existence have all the things I love taken from me!?” Peridot tries to throw the plush doll away.

 

  “Wait! Peridot!” Pearl calls after her, “Keep hold of your doll! And run that way, under the bridge!” She directs, pointing towards the underside of a wooden bridge.

 

  “What!? You’ve seen what that monster’s coating can do! It’s nigh invincible!” Peridot barks back, running as fast as her short limbs can carry her for.

 

  “Would you just entertain my idea for once! What we need to do is stop it’s movement!” Pearl replies.

 

  “Why would that work-”

 

  “Just listen to her you clod!” Garnet orders.

 

  “That’s my line…” Peridot groans, sliding towards the underside of the bridge, taking the glowing alien doll and the Monster Worm with her.

 

  “I WAS NOT BUILT FOR THIS YOU CLODDY CLOD WORM!” She cries out as the worm gains ground, only to be distracted by a strong underside punch by Garnet, again, repulsed by the coating.

 

  “Peridot! Zig zag between the beams!” Pearl orders her, to which Peridot follows to the best of her ability.

 

  “GYAH!” Despite Garnet and Connie’s best efforts, the Monster Worm continues to gain ground against a flailing Peridot, whose escape is cut short by one stray rock which trips her up.

 

  “Oh dear.” She meeps out before covering her eyes right before what will surely be her death-

 

  Only for Pearl to sweep her up, taking off into the air where they’ll be safe.

 

  It was a perfect plan; the result being the Worm Monster’s movement now impotent, it’s body immobilized and entangled by the wooden beams of the bridge. Though the worm desperately struggles against it’s new cage, it only brings about it’s own demise as the beams crack, bringing down the bridge onto it’s body, immobilizing it under the weight of the remains.

 

  Garnet picks up the half-gem, carrying her away and ordering Amethyst back, to which she complies, confusing the half-gem.

 

  “Garnet? Shouldn’t we poof it-?”

 

  “Watch.” Garnet orders, pointing to Pearl’s form.

 

  The alabaster gem, Peridot in hand, releases her as she somersaults through the air, projecting twin spears from her gem. Both weapons charged up, she takes aim.

 

  The Worm Monster’s physical form disappears under a full hailfire of teal, pearlescent fireballs which consume it’s outline whole; incredibly majestic. Incredibly _Pearl_.

 

  The alabaster gem finishes her performance sticking the landing, and recieving a full encore from her comrades-in-arms. More than Peridot can say, who’s gotten herself stuck headfirst in a sand dune.

 

oOoOo

 

  It’s later, long after the sun has set on Beach City during the night that Peridot gets the courage to talk to Pearl again, whilst she and Connie have made themselves busy derusting what appears to be a propulsion system of the Red Eye.

 

  The alabaster gem wordlessly listens as the homeworld gem struggles to come up with her words; "I… have been spending much time with Amethyst and Connie.”

 

  Pearl nods warily.

 

  Peridot grumbles, “And my time with Amethyst has… encouraged me to admit, it's… remarkable that a Pearl such as yourself could become such a... knowledgeable technician, as well as a capable force in the battlefield. Your adaptability… clearly exceeded my, and… mmm… Homeworld’s expectations.” She clears her throat, “does that count as an apology?”

 

  A beat. Pearl just looks at her blankly.

 

  “Shall we… get to work? Did you not require my help in understanding the circuitry of the salvage operation?” Peridot asks, looking visibly awkward.

 

  Pearl lets out a small laugh, further compounding on Peridot’s clear discomfort. “Did I do something wrong?”

 

  “No, no, Peridot.” Pearl kneels down to her level, before pulling out a present from her gem; the alien plush doll Peridot had left behind at the battle scene, almost forgotten. “I think you forgot this.”

 

  Peridot smiles, a bit wary of herself. “Yes. Yes, I did. Thank you Pearl.”

 

 

 

oOoOo

 

 

 

   When the cool ocean breeze tickles her nose, the girl named Connie Quartz finally stirs from her nap and awakens, greeted by an ever-familiar scene; herself, resting upon a grassy knoll overlooking Beach City.

 

   Alone, save for her copy of Unfamiliar Familiar, though it was not the adventures of Lisa the witch and her familiar Archimicarus which had made her drowsier earlier. She distinctly remembers what she had been doing before falling asleep; a familiar game where she would debate whether to go down and try to make friends in Beach City, or head back home. Naturally, her body had opted for the ‘abstention’ option.

 

   Her bones and muscles protest as she tries to pick herself off the ground and stretch, her joints cracking sharply. As she stretches however, she finds a familiar tune stuck in her head once more.

 

   “HELP ME-”

 

   “-HELP ME-”

 

   “-HELP ME-”

 

   “-HELP ME-”

 

**Her eyes vault open. “I’m dreaming!” She screams, as the infinitesimal cosmos come to greet her.**

 

**Floating through space, trapped through space, stuck through space. Her body floats lifelessly through the infinite vacuum, accompanied only by the decaying eternity of universes past, the finite innumerability that is sum of all existences.**

 

**“Where… am I?**

 

**No echo.**

 

**“This is weird…”**

 

**_“This is weird.”_ **

 

**She recognizes that voice.**

 

**“Lapis!?”**

 

**Her form appears before her. For the first time in almost a year, Lapis Lazuli, in the light.**

 

**She’d tackle her with a hug if it weren’t for the fact that she’s missing both her arms.**

 

**“Connie, what are you doing in here?”**

 

**“I… I’m dreaming? Maybe it’s telepathy? Forget what I’m doing, w-where are you! Who… who’s hurting you!?”**

 

**“What? No Connie, I’m trying to concentrate! I’ve… I’ve got to concentrate so they can’t learn where you are-”**

 

**“yOU wIll prEcIsElY tEll Us whAt YOU sAw On thE plAnEt EArth In FUllEst dEtAIl-”**

 

**“WRRAAARAGH!” Lapis screamed.**

 

**“Lapis, w-what’s going on!?” She couldn’t look around, she couldn’t move, it felt like she was locked in a camera position, “T-tell me where you are, i-I can help you!”**

 

 **“I told you,** **NO!” Lapis'** **physical form shatters into shards and disappears fragments, dissipates, splinters, fractures. Scatters into dust. Ground up. No more.**

 

**“...Lapis?”**

 

**“What exactly are you?”**

 

**Behind you.**

 

**A familiar green gem, tall and lanky, stature augmented with limb enhancers.**

 

**“P...peridot?”**

 

**No, this one has a mildly darker complexion than that of her Peridot, her hair being rectangular in shape, and her gemstone located… on her eye?**

 

**Her torso is bulkier than Peridot’s, and her form is adorned with spherical shoulder pads to augment her stature.**

 

**The peridot kneels down to inspect her. Her arm transfigures into a weapon of some sort; a tractor beam, which freezes the half-gem in place.**

 

**“I will ask you again. What exactly are you, and what is your role within Lapis Lazuli Facet-?”**

 

 

 

 

  She gasps, awakening in a cold sweat, this time with the gems surrounding her.

 

  “A-are you alright!?” Pearl fusses, checking her temperature, her bedsheets, if anything is physically wrong with her. “We heard from Peridot that you were struggling with something during your nap-”

 

 “It was likely a bad dream P,” Amethyst reassures her, “Connie’s going to be fine for the most part.”

 

  “L-Lapis! She’s hurting! Someone is hurting her!” Her words take a few seconds to register for Pearl and Amethyst. (Peridot doesn’t register, for obvious reasons.)

 

  “Lapis Lazuli?” Garnet asks.

 

  “Lapis!?” Pearl squawks.

 

  “There are more of you…?” Peridot wonders out loud.

 

  Connie does her best to continue, “I had a dream… but that’s the wrong way to describe it! It felt like…” She snaps her fingers to try to find the right words, “Telepathy! She was in space! And she was trapped, and imprisoned, and she was being interrogated by another Peridot… she… she sounded like she was in terrible pain…”

 

  “Another Peridot?” Peridot asks.

 

  She looks her in the eyes. “Yes, one with rectangular hair, limb enhancers, gemstone on her eye, and shoulder pads?”

 

  Peridot nods, unsure why she’s looking to her for answers. “There are thousands of other Peridots. If you’re directing this to me in the hopes that I’ll know which one she is, you’ll be disappointed to know that isn’t the case.”

 

  “They must be…” Pearl almost muses a thought, but a swift glare from Garnet reminds her of her audience. “Nevermind. Connie, describe how the experience felt?”

 

  “It… it felt like I was really there. But I couldn’t do anything. It was cold, and all I could do was watch Lapis in pain, until I realized I could talk to her, then she forced me out.”

 

  Pearl crinkles her nose. “It must be another one of your powers…”

 

  She’s not in the mood for war planning. “W-we have to do something!”

 

  She tries to get up out of bed to dress for the warp pad, only to be brought back down by Garnet.

 

  “Connie. I know you and Lapis were friends. But now, it’s physically impossible to get to her. You said she was in space?”

 

  “It felt like it.”

 

  “You’ve never even been in space before.” Pearl adds. “How would you have known you were in space?”

 

  Connie shakes her head. “I… I know I was in space Pearl. I… I was inside Lapis’ head, and she felt… lonely… isolated… tortured… rejected… abandoned.” She could have saved her. Back then, she could have asked for her to stay on Earth, so none of this could be happening-, “I… I could have gotten her to stay here on Earth. I could have-”

 

  “Connie.” Garnet sets her down, None of this is your fault. You couldn’t have predicted any of this.”

 

  The half-gem nods, then frowns. “Garnet, back then, did you see-”

 

  “I can only see futures based off of information I know, and inquiries I make. I…” Her voice is tense, “I never would have imagined Homeworld would…” She falters.

 

  “Homeworld would what?” Connie asks, knowing she won’t get an answer. “They… they’re torturing her right?”

 

  Pearl and Garnet fail to face her directly. Peridot, not one for tact, proceeds after a period of silence. “If they were following standard protocol upon readmission of exiled gems, they will likely be dissecting her core in order to render all her knowledge visible. The mind of the gem becomes probeable, accessible, visible, for the most part.”

 

  Pearl’s eyes go wide as saucers.

 

  “So that means Homeworld will know of our survival.” Pearl inducts, looking to Garnet for reassurance.

  

 But Garnet looks as unsure as the rest of them.

 

  “Likely, but it is possible to hide information,” Peridot continues, “but it is… very difficult. To illustrate this difficulty, it would be akin to attempting to hide something in one’s quarters whilst the entity that you wish to hide this thing from has an omnipresent view of the interior of your quarters.” She pauses. “The interrogator typically knows if the interrogated is hiding something. Resistance… typically leads to more primitive forms of interrogation.” She admits.

 

  “So they’re torturing her.” Connie states bluntly. “Because of us.”

 

  The room grows cold.

 

  “That’s all I know.” Peridot finishes.

 

  Amethyst sighs. “Man, this is janked.”

 

  Even Peridot nods. “Yes I agree, this is… janked. Whatever that means.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The bond between Lapis and Connie is much stronger since she doesn’t have nearly as many contacts with beach City as Steven, meaning Connie’s thought about her time with Lapis more often. And yes, i just realized i ludicrously extended the distance of connie’s telepathic powers (if steven had a max distance in the first place,) (even though the bottom of the sea is ludicrously far for steven, across galaxies is a whole other category)


	14. Interlude: Obfusicating

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pearl reflects on the current state of her relationship with Amethyst.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sometimes i have no energy to write
> 
> not this time lol

 

  “You haven’t been talking to Amethyst very much recently.”

 

   _Recently_ , being an euphemism for the past month of near silence between Pearl and Amethyst. Pearl sometimes wonders if Garnet ever gets tired of having to act as mediator for everyone’s relationships. She wonders if that’s an obvious question.

 

  “We’ve been… working out our problems with each other.”

 

  “By not talking with each other.”

 

  Sometimes, it felt as though Garnet just knew _everything_. Even though Pearl knows for certain that she doesn't. She doesn’t know about the specific details between her and Amethyst, because if she did, she's certain Ruby would unfuse just to poof them for a century or two. 

 

  It’s unfair that Garnet's always so well put together. That she always has everything figured out. That she always knows what to do. That she's made of love, while Rose up and left Pearl and Amethyst behind, alone to deal with everything she couldn't solve.

 

  That Pearl and Amethyst make Garnet out to be all of this.

 

  “Pearl. You have noticed the way she stares at you, right?”

 

  She’d be lying if she said she hadn’t. She lies anyway, a teal flush breaking her facade.

 

  “I… don’t know what to do Garnet.” She admits.

 

  “It's a simple answer Pearl. Do you return her feelings?”

 

  Garnet hasn’t been using future vision for them. “I… don’t know.”

 

  Garnet takes her leave, struggling to keep her frustrations in check. “Pearl. You’re not being fair to her, to any of us, especially including _yourself. Especially yourself._ I can’t figure out how to fix this for you.”

 

  She’s not the only one sick of how this drama is going.

 

  “Figure it out Pearl.”

 

oOoOo

 

   _“Face it P, you’re kinda thick-headed.”_

 

Amethyst thinks she sees more than Pearl can when it comes to nuances. Emotions. _Feels._

 

  Which is true for most of the time. Pearl has a tendency to get lost in the moment, and trample over everyone else’s feelings in the process. Emotionally insensitive, they call it.

 

  The rush of water that fills her private abode usually helps her meditate. Think. Reason things out. _Disassociate_.

 

  It doesn’t make sense that Amethyst… likes her, given how often she prattles on about Rose Quartz. It’s not like she actively wants to prattle on about how great Rose Quartz is and all, but she swore her heart would be hers forever, and that her legacy would forever be hers to defend. And at the end of it all? She has to hold on to her child.

 

  She sometimes wonders what would have become of the terrifying, renegade Pearl she once was if word had come out to the rest of the galaxy that she was just some lovesick puppy, following Rose because she had promised an eternity together, only to end up caring for her human child.

 

  One day, she knows it won’t just be Amethyst who’s sick and tired of hearing about Rose. If human narratives of adolescence are of any indicator, she knows she only has a year at best before Connie joins her in not wanting to hear about Rose. 

 

  She’s bad at this, and none of this has helped her come closer as to why she and Amethyst shouldn’t be in a relationship.

 

_“Amethyst, although I understand how you currently feel about our current situation…”_

 

_“Amethyst, what you want would be quite inappropriate for the two of us…”_

 

_“Amethyst, I’m not sure if we’re entirely compatible…”_

 

  Her core heats up, and she can’t figure out a script to memorize so she’ll know what to say. Amethyst is certainly a pretty gem, but she’s not Rose. They (admittedly) bicker mutually with each other relentlessly, and when they don’t have that dynamic going on, they just fall apart.

 

  But she remembers Amethyst was always there for her. Whenever she felt lost. Whenever she had been lonely, Amethyst was always there to talk to her and keep her busy, whenever Rose wasn’t there. Whenever she had broken down, and Rose wasn’t there for her, Amethyst was always willing to cry with her, until she was ready to join them again.

 

  Until Rose just had to go and disappear, leaving them behind-

 

  Whenever Rose found someone else’s company more appealing. Whenever she was feeling frustrated, and needed someone to take it all out on... She was there, as… unhealthy as all of it was.

 

   _“You’re not being very fair to her.”_

 

  Logically, that doesn’t mean Pearl has to like Amethyst back. Yes. That makes sense.

 

  So why in the stars can’t she just say no!? She’s done it to so many others _(always human men)_ before...

 

   _“Amethyst, though I appreciate what you’ve done for me before…”_

 

_“Amethyst, I’m afraid you may have mistaken my… reciprocity as... “_

 

_“Amethyst…”_

 

  She sighs, having added ten layers of headache atop centuries of frustration. Dropping down to the ground pool, she phases off her clothing and lets the rush of water take her in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i got the definition of a love triangle wrong, so let me clarify; there won’t be an arc long fight that decides who gets amethyst


	15. Interlude: Stories of Two Separate Worlds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amethyst and Peridot share what their lives once were.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i honestly don't know how i came up with this
> 
> Warning: Marijuana Use.

 

_“The limestone towers of Dai Nam’s Hau Long Bay, are a reminder with this link with the sea. Originally, this whole area would have been one solid block of limestone, the base of a coral reef.”_

 

  Amethyst blows more of the foul smelling smoke out of her scent sponge, staring hazily at the primitive emission screen before handing over the hallucinogen burning contraption to Peridot, who  tepidly accepts with care.

 

  “Lips around the pipe. Fingers on that hole there, breathe in, and fingers off once your flame simmers.” Amethyst instructs, demonstrating the movements necessary to operate this hallucinogen contraption.

 

  Apparently, the lives of the human species on this planet was miserable enough to warrant their limited engineering expertise being used to concoct new ways of intoxicating themselves with whatever hallucinatory substances they could find.

 

  “I’ll light it up this time for you. Okay?” Amethyst looks her in the eye, causing Peridot to briefly fluster. “You got a good grasp on it?”

 

  Peridot tries to assure herself with Amethyst’s words. That the hallucinogen won’t cause any permanent damage to her gem. She thanks the Diamonds she’s one of gemkind, and not of a fragile organic life form, their masses so easily corruptible by the outside world...

 

  “Yes.” Peridot tepidly answers. She puts her lips around the pipe to ‘light up,’ as Amethyst calls it, and before long, a choking smoke fills her fake respiratory system, converting the chemical hallucinogens into a form… usable, by her gem.

 

  Diamonds, she didn’t know what she was doing. She had told herself that she was here to gather materials, but she couldn’t resist being dragged along by Amethyst, whatever her surprise was. And now…

 

  Peridot chokes, violently hacking out whatever smoke she held in her fake respiratory reservoir. Amethyst pats her hard on the back.

 

  “Shit Peri, you okay? Don’t poof yourself.” She laughs.

 

  Peridot wheezes in response. “You… need some water or something?” Amethyst asks, now visibly concerned.

 

  “Yes please.” Peridot squeaks out, prompting the… Amethyst, to fetch her anything replenishing from the ‘drinks pile.’ Clods, what has she been reduced to?

 

  They hand the contraption back and forth, sharing sips of water in between, admiring the human programming ‘Planet Earth,’ as they do so.

 

  “What exactly are those life forms?” Peridot observes as the programming shifts environments towards some sort of humid muck.

 

  “Shit,” Amethyst comments, “I think… these are… beavers?”

 

  “What exactly is a ‘beaver?’” Peridot asks, knowing full well nothing Amethyst can say will alleviate her confusion, or the haze slowly penetrating the core of her gem.

 

  “They make… dams… with sticks.” Amethyst mumbles. “I’d shapeshift one for you but… too hazy for that shit right now.”

 

  Peridot raises an eyebrow. “They can make primitive hydrokinetic barriers using only raw material from the environments around them?”

 

  Amethyst shrugs. “If you’re still talking like that, you need another hit.” She gestures to the hallucinogen burner, to which Peridot acquiesces once more.

 

  Stars, everything was slowing down. The geodes that make up the ceiling of Amethyst’s room were all blurring together into some celestial harmony of some sort, with a color scheme that seemed to complement Amethyst’s… design.

 

  Peridot finds that it reminds her of the stars. Homeworld.

 

  “Very pretty. The ceiling, as I observe.”

 

  “Huh?” Amethyst frowns. “Oh, yeah. Rose gave it to me. The whole place.” She smacks her lips. “It was prettier before I went and ruined everything with my junk.”

 

  Peridot drops the subject, taking note of Amethyst’s self-deprecation.

 

  “Do the others partake in this... ceremony?” Peridot asks to change the subject, her eyes molded to the ceiling’s pretty lights. The words felt so thick and slow in her mouth. At least Amethyst was right about something; she had a temporary reprieve from worrying about what Homeworld might do to her if they caught her collaborating, or if the Crystal Clods ever found out about her plans to escape-

 

  It takes Amethyst a moment to understand what Peridot’s talking about. “Connie? Maybe when she grows older and more angsty.” She mumbles, before changing her answer to a “Probably,” Peridot taking a moment to realize Amethyst is answering her question. “Never going to see Pearl say yes, I can guarantee that,” she cackles,  “and I asked Garnet once if she wanted to smoke.”

 

  “What happened?” Peridot’s curious.

 

   _“No.” Amethyst recounts Garnet saying._

 

The two burst out into laughter, unsure what exactly was so funny. Amethyst tries to refocus on the television, but finds it hard to tell what exactly’s going on. Apparently, some amphibious life form was chasing the labeled ‘beavers.’

 

  “If none of the gems partake in this human ceremonial…” Peridot focuses, “why do you partake in it?”

 

  A shrug from Amethyst, lazy and lethargic. “Cause it’s fun.”

 

  “Fun?” Peridot crinkles, trying to understand.

 

  Amethyst snickers at Peridot’s tone of voice. “Yeah. What, do you not do things for fun where you’re from?”

 

  “No. In the empire, every gem is born knowing their purpose, knowing how their life will likely be spent. Any facet of our existences, our lives, our minds; if it can be scrutinized, it can be put into spreadsheets.” Peridot zoned out, realizing she would, alongside an interrogation,report in intimate detail everything that happened during her odyssey to her superiors.

 

  It felt strange, not being a replaceable set of data in the grand scheme of the empire. It felt… inglorious, but Peridot felt that was the wrong word.

 

  “Sounds pretty lame.” Amethyst blows a ‘raspberry.’ “And familiar. The humans have been trying to do that exact same stuff here on Earth.”

 

  For whatever reason, Peridot doesn’t raise much of an objection to Amethyst’s judgement. ‘ _It’s the hallucinogen,’_ she tells herself.

 

  “The humans are intelligent enough to create advanced civilizations?” Peridot raises instead.

 

  “Probably not on the level of Homeworld, but they’re slowly getting there.” Amethyst sighs, attention returning to the programming. “I think... that’s a crocodile?”

 

  “Why is it chasing the beavers?” Peridot frowns. “Why did the humans spend so many resources documenting the short lives of these… evolutionarily-bottom line clods?”

 

  Amethyst snickers. “Because the gator needs food. And same reason I said before, because it’s fun. And beautiful.”

 

  Amethyst tries to guide Peridot through what’s going on the programming, but most of it goes over Peridot’s head. Nothing about this ‘Planet Earth’ makes sense, everything feels like a daze, and it’s getting harder and harder to focus on whatever Amethyst’s talking about, which isn’t much. Her physical form slackens, something Amethyst told her about, but now she just wants to sink into the Earth itself.

 

  “I see.” Peridot says a nothing, her lips incredibly dry as she does so. Her lips aren’t even supposed to need lubrication.

 

  Amethyst slowly turns to her guest. “You doing okay there Peri?”

 

  It takes her some time to understand, and lazily nod in response. “Yes.”

 

  A lazy grin from Amethyst, infectious enough to make Peridot giggle. “This stuff usually helps me out whenever P & G are going hard on me, you know?”

 

  It takes her a really long time just to ask her what Amethyst meant.

 

  Amethyst frowns, her expression going sad. “Oh… like… when Pearl’s all bitchy you know?”

 

_Note: look up the term ‘bitch’ later._

 

  “You two are close?” Peridot takes an obvious guess, to which she silently reprimands herself for. She’s one of four gems on this Diamond-forsaken planet; of course they’re close.

 

  “Were, I guess. Were.”

 

  Oh?

 

  The look on Amethyst’s face grows visibly dark. Should Peridot avoid this topic? She really didn’t want to hurt Amethyst’s feelings again. “Until Rose had Connie, taking her with… her.” She stumbles on the awkward pronouns.

 

  “Who was she?” Peridot suddenly finds herself asking out of curiosity. “Rose.”

 

  A beat.

 

  “Why?” Amethyst asks back a question she has no prepared answer for.

 

  “I’m…” Her lips move on their own, “If I’m going to be staying on this planet for the time being, I’d like to know more about what she did, and why.”

 

  A pause, Amethyst isn’t sure how to answer. “I dunno dude. I wasn’t there. Stayed in the ground too long remember?”

 

  Peridot winces.“But… clearly, you must know something about it.” Peridot continues on, trying to change the subject, “You’ve been with Rose, and the rest of Crystal Cl...Gems your entire existence.

 

  Amethyst stares at her. “Why are you so interested now?”

 

  “Because I’m stuck here forever aren’t I? I’d like to learn more… about everything if I’m going to be stuck on Earth with you.”

 

  For a moment, it felt as if Amethyst could see right through her.

 

oOoOo

 

 **_Amethyst:_ ** _“Again, stayed in the ground too long. When I came out… there was noone there. Nothing there, noone to tell me what to do in the Kindergarten, so I ended up just… there for a long time.”_

 

 **_Peridot:_ ** _“All by yourself?”_

 

 **_Amethyst:_ ** _“Until Rose found me in the Kindergarten. Rose Quartz, the leader of the Crystal Gems, who rebelled against Homeworld to stop whatever it was they were planning to do with it. From what Garnet and Pearl, and what you’ve told me, it wouldn’t have been pretty.”_

 

 **_Peridot_ ** _: “How did Rose win? I highly doubt Homeworld’s military capacity could have been sufficenty defeated in an all-out total war by one planet of rebel gems.”_

 

_[Amethyst shifts uncomfortably.]_

 

 **_Amethyst:_ ** _“Don’t tell Connie?”_

 

_[Peridot suspiciously nods]_

 

 **_Amethyst:_ ** _“She shattered Pink Diamond.”_

 

  Peridot gasps, stirring upright violently enough to warrant her scrambling towards a pile of rubbish and falling over.

 

  “Shit Peri, you okay?” Amethyst scrambles over to pick her up. “Didn’t expect you to have a heart attack.” She cackles to herself, as Peridot audibly groans from the wreckage. “Need a boost?” Amethyst asks, holding out a slackened hand.

 

   "They actually shattered a diamond?" Peridot gasps, prompting Amethyst and Garnet to nod.  She surmised that the gems had to have fought in order to drive Homeworld from this planet, yet...

 

   "Don't tell Connie." Amethyst whispers. "She looks up to mom... Pearl and Garnet are thinking of telling her when _'the time is right,'_ which means probably they'll forget about it until someone else spills the news." Amethyst frowns. "Connie's still pretty young. And humans live really short lives..."

 

   "How brief?" Peridot surmises. 

 

   "Around seventy years or so. Hopefully... that gem in her stomach'll protect her for longer you know?" Amethyst sighs. "The three of us are really bad at this... me, Pearl, and Garnet."

 

   "You mean you're raising her inadequately?" Peridot asks to clarify. 

 

   Amethyst shrugs. "She's totally going to hate us when she grows up..." Amethyst snickers, eliciting a look from Peridot demanding more answers, answers which could only be given with time spent here with them.

 

   "Shit Peri, you look like your eyes are about to fall out of your head." She offers Peridot her hand again, "Need help?"

 

   For whatever reason, the news that her captors shattered a Diamond of all crimes... held less weight than the world-ending implications she thought it would. Maybe she was being worn down with the sheer amount of treason and idiocy these Crystal Gems have continued to purport to her proudly... maybe it was the hallucinogen.

 

   Not much she could do with this information either way. 

 

_[Taking her hand, Peridot scoots back up from the pile, in front of the television. Amethyst clears her throat to continue]_

 

 **_Amethyst:_ ** _“Rose shattered her only because she had to… to try to get Homeworld to cut it’s losses, and leave forever, you know?_

 

_[Amethyst grows darker]_

 

 **_Amethyst:_ ** _“But it didn’t work. The Diamonds used all their power to corrupt every gem that was still on the planet. Like… some sort of light or something.”_

 

_[Amethyst frowns]_

 

 **_Amethyst:_ ** _“That’s what they’ve told me I guess.”_

 

 **_Peridot:_ ** _“You guess?”_

 

 **_Amethyst:_ ** _“I dunno. I just know P’s hiding something from me… but she really doesn’t want to talk about it. And I’ve better than to ask about the war. And honestly can’t blame her. Human wars are bad enough as it is.”_

 

 **_Peridot:_ ** _“Humans have the capacity for conflict?”_

 

 **_Amethyst:_ ** _“Yeah.”_

 

_[Peridot softly laughs at the image of primitive, dimwitted organics trying to kill each other with their limited capacities, then shudders at the image of deceased, rotting organic forms]_

 

 **_Peridot:_ ** _“Do you attempt to intervene?”_

 

 **_Amethyst:_ ** _“Stopped trying a thousand years ago. Always ends up fudging things up even worse.”_

 

 **_Peridot:_ ** _“One last question?”_

 

 **_Amethyst:_ ** _“Shoot.”_

 

 **_Peridot:_ ** _“What?”_

 

 **_Amethyst:_ ** _“I… ask away Peri.”_

 

 **_Peridot:_ ** _“What was Rose Quartz like?”_

 

_[a beat]_

 

 **_Amethyst_ ** _: “I… she just cared, Peri. I mean, her taking me in and caring for me… that was the first nice thing that’s ever happened to me. She cared for everything, everyone, and we just spent our time caring for all the corrupted gems here on Earth.”_

 

_“It was… I didn’t know what to do when I emerged. I felt… lost. Alone. Nothing to do.”_

 

  What Peridot wants to do is tell her of course Amethyst didn’t know what to do, emerging from the Kindergarten overbaked and without a command, but she doesn’t want to make her upset. She’s learning.

 

  Amethyst clears her throat. “Shit, this got heavy. Mind if I ask you a question?”

 

  Still glazy from the hallucinogen, it takes Peridot a moment to respond. “...Very well.”

 

  “...What was I supposed to look like?” Amethyst asks her with hollow eyes.

 

  “Oh.” Peridot goes quiet, “didn’t… we go over this already?”

 

  “Well, yeah but… I’d appreciate it if you painted a better picture. Details, you know? I want a better picture.”

 

   Peridot stumbles through her description, trying to tip the balance between an answer that would satisfy Amethyst, and an answer that would make her sad again.

 

   _‘Poor little peridot,’_ she thinks, _‘now stuck in a part she was never meant to play.’_

 

_Poor little Peridot, stuck in another galaxy so far away from home, telling stories of a home that she had never learned to question, never learned to wonder about until now.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so… how about that stevenbomb? Maybe not a bomb in terms of episode count, but in terms of content and character introspection, it was literally a stevennuke (sing lapis sing)  
> watching Pale Single Rose made me add one more chapter to the first Arc unfortunately, because I realized one episode was integral far more integral to Pearl’s development as a character.  
> be sure to leave a comment below if you’d like, friendly comments really help motivate me to keep writing


	16. Hindsight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connie tries to find a way of helping Lapis Lazuli.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> nearly 80000 words that could have been used to cure cancer, instead dedicated to this schlock
> 
> Warning: Mentions of Character Death in this Chapter. Skip to the end for me to summarize what it is.

 

  “What do you mean we shouldn’t go after her?” Connie protests to Pearl and Garnet the morning following her telepathic premonition, having barely touched her delicately sculpted pancakes, served by Pearl of course. Connie’s spent her entire morning arguing with Pearl about her premonition last night; Amethyst is all too content to let Pearl handle the matter. Connie avoids arguing with Garnet to avoid getting stonewalled by the fusion, and Peridot is stuck picking at her whipped cream since she wasn’t trained to handle communication disputes.

 

  Pearl serves up another platter to Amethyst and Peridot, the latter glazing one generously with maple syrup, the former inhaling the rest of the batch in full. “Because it’s physically incapable for us to do so! Case closed!” Armed with a can of whipped cream, the pale gem sculpts an elegant topping over the upcoming batch.

 

  Connie huffs. Stars, they were right, but it still didn’t make sense for her to just abandon Lapis like that…

 

  “What about the galaxy warp? Can’t Peridot fix that?” Connie suggests.

 

  “No.” Garnet stonewalls her, while picking at the whipped cream. Instinctively, everyone turns to Peridot.

 

  Who throws her hands up in surrender. “Gah! What are you looking at me for! I am not planning any escape! I don’t want to get harvested!”

 

  “We’re not accusing you of anything.” Garnet reassures her. “Just don’t help Connie even if she asks for you to help with the galaxy warp.”

 

  “Even if I had the delusion of fixing the galaxy warp, the materials and processes required to manufacture the repair substance requires a dedicated refinery, _and_ materials which do not appear to be possible, given the dominant elemental composition here on Earth. It would be easier, and simpler, to assemble a starship.” She instinctively winces upon completing that sentence.

 

  Fortunately for Peridot, the situation isn’t about her. “So why can’t we just do that?” Connie suggests.

 

  “No.” Garnet answers.

 

  “We just don’t have a reliable design available to us, that won’t catastrophically disintegrate on us upon leaving the atmosphere.” Pearl retorts. “Which is especially important since we’d be working with salvaged gem material, and whatever parts we could scrounge up from Amethyst’s room. Those materials, I have firsthand experience with.”

 

  Amethyst shoots Pearl a dirty look. “You’re not taking any of my things. Understood?”

 

  Pearl nods. “Which means we don’t have any other methods of leaving Earth.” Pearl rejoins, though looking saddened by her conclusion. “Which means we’re stuck here. On Earth.” She sighs. “Forever.”

 

  Garnet tries a reassuring hand, but Connie simply sighs, finishing her breakfast and setting her utensils down. Taking her leave, she forgets to push in her chair or close the door on her way out.

 

  “Shouldn’t we go after her?” Peridot looks to Garnet with Pearl, both concerned.

 

  “She’s a smart girl. She knows her limits.” A pause. “And besides, she’s not the one I’m most worried about.”

 

  Peridot falls off her chair. “What are you accusing me for!?”

 

  Pearl and Amethyst both look to Garnet for answers, only to find none. “Not you Peridot.” Garnet reassures her. Not you.”

 

  Pearl frowns, before turning to herself for her own thoughts. “On the other hand, and I do say this outside of the presence of Connie, theoretically, it's not a stretch. Though the materials of Amethyst’s room are primitive, suiting only primitive propulsion-based space travel, meaning they wouldn’t be adaptable to a homeworld design. The idea is ludicrous. It would never work, although... several humans, a monkey, and a dog did make it into space. I don't know why I've never even thought of it before. I would have to run some more tests with the building material so we wouldn’t have another repeat of what happened a millenia ago.” Suddenly rejuvenated with excitement, “This could actually work!”

 

  “See what I mean?” Garnet comments to Amethyst, who just groans, prompting an embarrassed blush from Pearl for her display.

 

oOoOo

 

  “Your friend’s lost in space as a prisoner?” Steven listens with rapture, as he always does whenever Connie tells him about her adventures.

 

  Connie shifts uncomfortably on her makeshift seating at the boardwalk. “They’re torturing her.” She bluntly states, picking at her Gums! Roll-up fruit snack, before handing her jam donut to Steven. “Because of me.”

 

 “That’s…” Steven hesitates, unused to handling topics of this gravity. “Janked.”

 

  Connie stifles a laugh. “That’s what Peridot said.” She remembers, getting a chuckle out of Steven. “I met Lapis before I met you. Before Lion, before I started going on adventures with the gems.” She pauses. “Well, when they let me.” She adds on the bitter addendum. “I could have saved her. I could have asked her to stay with us, and maybe…”

 

  “Lapis… wanted to go back to Homeworld?” Steven asks, aware of what Connie’s told her about Homeworld in the past.

 

  She tepidly nods. “It was her home! But… I knew Homeworld was awful, I knew Homeworld was f… _messed_ up,” she censors herself, “and I still let her go!”

 

  “Do you want me to listen, or do you want me to make some comments?”

 

  Connie looks up at him. “I’m having a conversation with you, aren’t I? Of course I want your input.” She tepidly laughs.

 

  Steven takes a moment to himself, before answering. “Well, it seems to me that you really didn’t know that all this janked up stuff would happen to Lapis if she did what she did.”

 

   _“You didn’t know.”_

 

  It isn’t long before she’s realized she’s partially tuning him out unconsciously. “-none of this was your fault. You don’t have to be so hard on yourself for what Homeworld did-”

 

  “But I could have known.” She rebuts, signalling to him that they’re coming from two different axles, and likely won’t find agreement here. “I could have done something back then, instead of being as… useless as I was before.” She sighs in frustration, “I don’t know what I’m doing right now, instead of being as useless as I was before!” She josses her Gums! Roll-up snack to the sand, eliciting a gasp from her friend.

 

  “The Roll-ups…” Steven nearly cries, before recomposing himself. “You’re not useless Connie. Not to me.”

 

  Connie sighs, before looking up at beyond the sky blue, into the stars beyond. “I wish I could be that way to everybody then.”

 

  Another one of their pleasant silences, punctuated only by the sounds of the boardwalk behind them, and the lapping of the waves on the distant shore.

 

  It reminds her of… damn it, Lapis.

 

  Steven finds himself laughing, for whatever reason Connie can’t decipher from their surroundings alone.

 

  She smiles. “What?”

 

  He shakes his head. “Stupid idea, stupid idea.”

 

  “What?” She grins. “Say it.”

 

  “Well, what if…” He stands up to act out his fantasy, “We searched for Lapis!”

 

  “What!?” She grins, intrigued by this line of thought.

 

  “I’m serious, I could help you! We could find some ship from some weird gem ruins, then we could fly out into space and take on Homeworld! It’d be like _Empire Strikes Back_! You’d fight everyone off with your sword, and I could be… I could be Steven, the shield-bearer!” He strikes a pose to illustrate his fantasy, which Connie finds herself terribly intrigued by.

 

  Unfortunately, reality has to set in. “I wish… unfortunately, we don’t have a way off-planet, since Garnet’s grounded us.”

 

Steven sits back down, not at all discouraged. “Well, since we can’t head to Homeworld, wanna head out to Funland?” He checks his wallet to see if he has enough money for the amusement park.

 

  Connie shakes her head. “I… got banned from there.” She reluctantly admits.

 

  “You’re banned from Funland now?” Steven questions her, busy unrolling his second Fruit snack, and chucking the gummy confectionery into his mouth.

 

  “Yeah…” Connie admits, reading the wrappers of their fruit snacks and totally not trying to play the awkwardness off. _High in sugar. Low in everything else._ “Me and Amethyst tried taking Peridot to Funland… didn’t go so well.”

 

  “What happened?”

 

  “Peridot kicked the ride operator/concessions worker/maintenance worker/park owner/security guard in the shin. Then Amethyst chucked him into the water, so we bailed.” She admits.

 

  Steven takes a moment to think. “Ride operator/concessions worker/maintenance…” He mutters to himself, “Oh! You mean Mr. Smiley?”

 

  “That’s his name?” She tries not to judge him, but with a name and demeanor like _that_ , it was if he was meant to be _creepy murder suspect # 1_.

 

  Steven nods, “I’ve seen him around a bunch of other places around Beach City! I think he oversees the arcade as well.”

 

  Connie groans. “Guess I’m banned from there too…”

 

  Steven gives her his ever reliable, reassuring smile. “Oh come on, I’m sure I can talk to him! We’re friends, and I’m sure he’d understand Peridot kicking him in the shin and Amethyst…” He falters now that he’s actually running through his own thought, “uh… how far out into the ocean did Amethyst throw her?”

 

  “Pretty far.” She answers bluntly, prompting an ‘oh,’ from Steven. “It’s not like I would have visited anytime soon though.”

 

  “You don’t like arcades?” Steven furrows, to which Connie shakes her head.

 

  “It’s hard for me to talk to others…” _“except you,’_ she wants to admit, but she realizes that this would creep him out, and that it’s unfair to hoist her problems onto him.

 

  “I get that.” Steven admits, to which Connie almost internally rolls her eyes. Steven just came off as so naturally outgoing and as a social butterfly, that she couldn’t understand why his classmates seemed to mutually dislike him. “It’s pretty exhausting to try to talk to someone, only for them to turn on you or ghost you right after.” He frowns, before recomposing himself. “That’s why I head out to Beach City to hang out with you guys!”

 

  She still didn’t understand why he didn’t just outright tire of her whole sthick; the whole ‘being a hero thing,’ her awkwardness, her nerdiness and proclivity to being a recluse. She sighs, only understanding that she still doesn’t understand something about him.

 

  Steven’s been musing off on some thought while Connie’s been lost in her own thoughts; she should add _inattentive_ to her resume.

 

  Steven pauses for a second, looking at her. His eyes are a bit brighter than usual, then he leans in, arms forward, wrapping his arms tight around her. The hug is enough to jolt her out of her line of thought.

 

  “Thanks for being friends.” He whispers, as she returns the hug. If only she could have been one to Lapis.

 

  The two break off. “And you’re not alone. You have the gems, after all. And Lion.”

 

  It’s only when she realizes she’s smiling, does she finally have the epiphany she had sought for.

 

oOoOo

 

  “What I don’t understand is why you spend so much time and energy cleaning the utensils and plattery that Connie eats off of.” Peridot observes, seated against the kitchen counter as Pearl cleans the kitchen, alongside Amethyst’s (very) large helping of seconds.

 

  “Because that would be filthy, and possibly hazardous to Connie’s health.” Pearl points out, not even looking in Peridot’s direction. 

 

  “So why bother cleaning the same set over and over again? Why not just use the pile of plattery and utensilware in Amethyst’s room?”

 

  As if on cue, Amethyst takes out a plate she’d been hiding all this time, before placing it in Pearl’s hands, who groans. “Watch this.” Amethyst pokes at Peridot.

 

  “You don’t understand!” Pearl protests. “The current collection is completely uniform, and uniform means _remaining in all cases and at all times!”_ Pearl growls _, growls_ , before throwing the (unmatching) dishware on the floor and shattering it, prompting Garnet to fetch the broom and dustpan.

 

  The door opens, and Connie re-enters the fray, to the notice of everyone.

 

  “Welcome back!” Pearl scrubs at the kitchen cupboard. “I thought you were spending the day with your friend, Steven?”

 

  “Going to rain.” Garnet answers the unasked question, which the outside view, grey and dreary, confirms.

 

  Wordlessly heading up to her loft, she grabs what she came back here for, before wordlessly taking her leave.

 

  Amethyst sighs. “That kid’s going to be a headache when she gets older.”

 

oOoOo

 

  At wherever Lion is taking her, the dimensional portal Lion had opened seconds prior, spits them back out, Lion once again sticking the landing, Connie being flung off haphazardly, still unused to being subjected to light speeds or whatever experience Lion was putting her through whenever Lion conducted that particular mode of transport.

 

  She had long since connected two and two together that Lion was connected with her mother. It was a bit obvious, given the color scheme…

 

  Nevertheless, if he was connected with her mother, then that meant he was connected with gemkind as a whole.

 

   _“Lion, can you take me to where I might be able to find a starship? The plans for a starship, anything?”_

 

_Lion shook his head, before slumping down to take a nap._

 

_“Lion, if you do this for me, I promise I’ll buy you all the snacks you’ll want for the next month or two…”_

 

_Lion groans._

 

_“Half a year. How about that.”_

 

_That got him to stand up._

 

   “Where… am I?” Connie groans as her insides slowly rearrange herself from what felt like the closest thing to hyperspace she could get to at the moment.

 

  “Those don’t wear you out at all? Lion?” She grumbles as she checks her knapsack for her belongings, only for them to suddenly spill out into the air above. “Huh?” Watching as her belongings; some rations, a flashlight, and a grappling hook fail to fall prompts her to try jumping as well, only to confirm her first hypothesis.

 

  Low-Gravity environment. Oh stars. She’s likely on the moon.

 

  Or some gem structure designed specifically to simulate low-gravity environments, but being on the moon was cooler, so she just went with that. “What did mom need a moon base for…?”S he turns to Lion for his reaction, only to receive the sight of an exhausted steed, sleeping and collapsed on all fours. “Oh Lion…” She strides to where Lion is, before brushing his mane, “rest up. You’ll need it for the return trip back home.”

 

  Grabbing the flashlight and the rest of her belongings back into her possession, Connie scrutinizes her surroundings with the portable light. _“Is there a way out of this?”_ She wonders as she begins to debate whether Lion’s just taken her to wherever he could think of, or not.

 

  Engraved on the walls surrounding the dome that separates her from the void beyond, are murals of each of the four gems; Yellow, Blue, Pink, and White, each’s style congruent with what Pearl’s taught her about Gem art history and aesthetics. And fortunately for her, the engravings that decor the walls also come with ridges and inlets, permitting her use of the grappling hook.

 

  She looks upwards, to see how far her curiosity will take her, only to be greeted by the scale of the structure she’s in, with a height reaching several stories high.

 

  Very far, it seems.

 

  She tries not to think about how MASA could have missed a structure this size on the moon’s surface while she’s trying to focus on climbing the structure. Fortunately for her, the low gravity of the moon cushions her (numerous) failures, and greatly eases the difficulty of the climb towards something akin to a sunday drive.

 

  Eventually, she reaches high enough to find a floor of some sorts, with an open entry hatch, meaning there was likely a staircase at some point. Sighing, she lassoes her grappling hook with one hand, the other hand gripping the ledge, and manages to make the throw, permitting her pulling herself up.

 

  A glass dome that reveals the outside, confirming her suspicions; she’s on the moon. Drab and minimalistic by design, the center of the room holds a stair pyramid with a blunted top; the end hosting a computer of some sort; like all of gem architecture, marbled, and well-cut by design.

 

   _“Huh.”_

 

Making her way up the marbled steps, she finds the computer console to be accompanied by some sort of seating, which she feels promptly invited by. Taking her spot, Connie fids the sides of the seat to be marked with what seems to be a handprint scanner. Though experience (and Pearl) tells her she shouldn’t just press on buttons because she can, Connie does so anyways; the facility hasn’t attacked her so far, why would it now?

 

  Vindicating her instincts, the console comes to life quietly, and instantly, with only the activation of the desktop informing her of it’s status. Stars, she really could use a better computer back home.

 She only runs into one problem. She can’t speak gem language, despite having started the basics with Pearl. Stars, she really had to run into this problem now, didn’t she?

 

  But she’s come all this way now; she’ll sit at this console for a day or two if it means finding any information she might be able to use, as to the location of a starship, or a ship design perhaps. She’s patient. She can outwait an entire language, can’t she?

 

 

  And in the end, it’s very simple really. As Pearl taught her, humans didn’t actually invent computer technology; it was only after Napoleon’s successful invasion of Egypt, that computing began to develop and take hold in human society; Napoleon instilled an entire apparatus of Archeology in the country, which also just happened to host a wealth of Gem Ruins from the colonization era. The treasures the ended up bringing back to revolutionary France, just-so happened to include an inactive gem console.

 

  Forming the basis for all future human computing systems, and operating systems. Meaning she could draw parallels with how the Gem computing system works against how her computer system works back home, and go slowly from there.

 

  A slow process still. But hey, it’s the best she can ask for.

 

  Flipping through each and every one of the files, making sure to right-click on every GNG image for a preview before moving onto the next; she eventually comes across a file containing schematics for a plethora of vehicles.

 

  Including a starship.

 

  Right-clicking on the file in particular, she tries out the plethora of options available, trying to find the _‘print’_ option _._

 

  One option leads to some sort of holocron being ejected from the seat into her lap, which she activates, only to lead to a hologram of the design in question being displayed, in full 3-D space.

 

  Jackpot.

 

oOoOo

 

  “The Lion took you to the moon!?” Pearl, alongside the other gems, gawks at a triumphant Connie, holding the hologram in her hands. Activating it, the ship design displays itself outward via holo for everyone to see.

 

  “This is… incredible!” Pearl finds herself analyzing and deconstructing the plans with glee, “the materials for this ship are easily replicable here with the material on Earth, and given the amount of material easily accessible just from Amethyst’s room alone, I could finish this design in… hours!“ She’s lost entirely in her own mind displaying her own set of ship designs via hologram from her pearl.

 

  Peridot just stares in awe.

 

  “Yo, hate to burst your bubble, and I’m all for stupid plans and all, but charging into Homeworld space head on to save someone we don’t even know where she is sounds like a bad idea.” Amethyst points out, to which Garnet nods.

 

  “Even so, we have to try!” Connie grins, “...right Garnet?”

 

  Garnet readjusts her glasses, and to everyone else in the room, save for the one she’s addressing, she inaudibly sighs in worry. “Connie,”

 

  “Yes?”

 

  “I don’t... foresee this ending well.”

 

  Her previous enthusiasm and bravado comes to a screeching halt. “...What?”

 

  “This won’t end well, I-please Connie, you have to understand.”

 

  She’ll have none of it. “I know can save her! Right Pearl?”

 

  “Connie, please.” Pearl pleads with her, having changed tracks, “I… with Homeworld’s attention returning to Earth again, plus the fact that we’re watching over Peridot, plus the fact that we don’t even know where Lapis is… I think it’s best if we wait for better conditions-”

 

  “Until better conditions!? She could be shattered by then!”

 

  Pearl and Garnet’s gaze turns to Peridot, who panics under the attention. “Well, Homeworld, since the dawn of Era II, has shifted towards a more… ‘rehabilitative’ policy, towards captured gems.”

 

  “So they’re brainwashing her!? That means-”

 

  “Enough.” Garnet tries with her. Even through her glasses, Connie can see Garnet has something she doesn’t want to say. “Connie, please understand. We don’t have the capacity to search for Lapis.”

 

  “But how do you know that?” Connie demands of Garnet.

 

  “I…” She readjusts her glasses, in an act of recomposing herself, “I can see all of the possible futures if we were to head down this path. And none of them end well.”

 

  Connie scowls. “Right, just like when you foresaw Lapis’ being tortured by Homeworld upon readmission.”

 

  Garnet winces at her logic. “I didn’t see that possibility, because I didn’t factor in the right variables!”

 

  “So what makes you know for sure you’re factoring in the right variables now!?” Connie protests, before changing track. “Garnet, you told me before, that there are millions of possibilities for the future, but but it’s up to **me** to choose which one becomes reality. I thought I was supposed to choose my own future!”

 

  “I…”

 

  Garnet kneels to her level, **holding** her by the shoulders. “Connie, please. I… I don’t want you to see this.”

 

  “See what!? I can handle it!” She counters.

 

  “But I don’t want you to see it!” Garnet pleads.

 

  “WELL. I. DO!” She slams her fist into the wall for emphasis.

 

   Only to end up knocking the portrait of her mother down, which Garnet saves just in time.

 

   A brief, yet terribly oppressive silence leaving Connie to think on what might have happened to the portrait if-

 

  “I…” Connie panics, before breaking for it while Garnet’s occupied, running outside, hologram in hand.

 

  “Connie!” She can hear the gems calling out for her, as she trips, stumbling off the patio before conjuring a bubble around her, impenetrable to the gems and the elements around her.

 

  The outside is a miserable slog of a rain, the sands of Beach City having long turned into an immovable slush, the waves having turned choppy and violent as, with an immense lightning cracking in the distant horizon.

 

  Garnet’s the first to barge outside after her. “Connie, please, come back to us. I want you to understand, it’s just-”

 

  More excuses. “Just what!” She tries to yell through the bubble. “Why won’t you just tell me? Why can’t you just let me do this for her!?”

 

  “Because I know it won’t end well!” Garnet tries to yell through the howling wind.

  
  
  Connie scowls. “Right! Just like you knew about Lapis!”

 

  “I…” Garnet hesitates, as the rest of the gems join her, “I took a risk at your expense! There was a chance that she would have been fine, and everything could have been resolved!”

 

  “So you’re just taking chances with our lives!?” Connie accuses her. “Is that it!?”

 

  “No!” Garnet takes off her visor, and each eye feels as if Sapphire and Ruby are pleading with her as well. “I see so many things that can hurt us, your friends, and _you_. But in the end, I’m the one that has this power. And I’m the one that has to lead us.” She sets her glasses back on again. “Connie…” The choppy rain lashes out, “I’d never have anything hurt you, if I could. But I should never have let one of them be me.”

 

  Connie tries to lodge a protest, but falters. “There are millions of possibilities for the future,” Garnet continues, “but it's up to us, up to you to choose which becomes reality. **Please understand**.”

 

  “I do understand! I… I…”

 

**“Please, Understand.”**

 

_oooooooooooo_

 

   _They run. Run, run through the endless corridors of the prison, carrying Amethyst’s charred form, struggling to keep physical form. “Keep moving! We have to get away from Bort at all costs!”_

 

_They plow open a metallic sealed barrier, only to come across the form of Pearl, bruised, cut up, and worn down. False teal blood generously gauzes from her plethora of wounds, the warrior struggles to stand._

 

_Her gem is cracked; her form is struggling to hold._

 

_Surrounding her, is an entire platoon of quartzes, outmatched in all capacities save for number._

 

_“Pearl!” Connie, Garnet, and Peridot cry out for her._

 

_“Garnet! Connie!” She struggles to scream, as she parries three quartzes at once. “RUN!”_

 

_Her form crumples into nothingness as a lone quartz takes the opportunity to headbutt her, a sickening -CRACK- results from the move. Pearl’s gem shatters into shards; her form gone forever._

 

_“PEARL!”_

 

_oooooooooooo_

 

_The faulty wiring of Emerald’s warship collapses into a mess of melted wire and smoked-out plating.  “Hands off me!” Peridot screams at her, shoving Connie off of her._

 

_“Traitor! I trusted you!” Connie screams at her with all her might, “I became friends with you! I spent all that time with you, I saved you!”_

 

_Peridot gives her one last sad look. “I’m sorry.” She presses at the panel on her right, and a glass panel separates the two._

 

_Seconds later, Connie finds herself being sucked out of the airlock, into the void beyond._

 

_ooooooooooooo_

 

_They escape onto the sands below the metropolis of Silon-5, where their ship should be. “Come on!” Connie tries to rally Lapis, who’s sucking in air she shouldn’t even need. “Lapis?”_

 

_The waters are calm, warm, and sterile,  as befitting of a designed resort world, designed in the tropical style as part of the ‘Climate Diversity’ initiative promoted by the Bureau of Colonization._

 

_Suddenly, what appears to be an entire fleet of war drones rises from the waters below, each with their guns trained at the would-be escapees._

 

_“Yo, Lapis, get on board now!” Amethyst cries._

 

_“I… I…” Lapis panics. She looks up around them. Her blue collar restrains her neck; with it, her hydrokinesis abilities are effectively nill._

 

_The entire planetary fleet seems to have rallied to their location. “Don’t you see…" Lapis cries, it’s hopeless…”_

 

_“Lapis, please!” Connie pleads, having already lost Peridot._

 

_“I… I can make sure you’re not hurt…” Lapis turns to the Gem fleet, with their commander in tow. “Please…”_

 

_“Lapis!”_

 

_The blue gem doesn’t bother moving, as the cannons trained on her fire._

 

_ooooooooooooo_

 

  The mist of her bubble clears again, and once again, she can see.

 

  “...I…”

 

 The thunder ripples through the wind, bringing with it, an new epiphany.

 

“...What am I doing…”

 

  She reluctantly dissolves her bubble, and the rain, though harsh, drenches her with a cold shower, making her realize she hasn’t showered in two days. She didn’t eat breakfast, and is now terribly hungry. Her body’s sore from all those failed attempts at climbing the moon base.

 

  She approaches the patio tepidly, warily watching Garnet’s reaction, anticipating any retaliation of any kind.

 

  In the end, what awaits her arrival above, is love, with Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl, each holding her, and Connie, returning in kind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pretty hard chapter for me to write, with three rewrites because it was difficult for me to discern what the Gems would do in this situation. Would the gems go after Lapis? They did the same thing for Greg, though Greg and Lapis held pretty differing relations to the gems at these points in this story, versus canon s4.
> 
> I had originally planned this out as a Pearl chapter, as an adaptation of Space Race. Instead ended as a Garnet chapter, and I’m pretty happy with the result, though do tell me what you thought of the chapter. Was it believable? Was it well-written? Were there any strange coincidences of any kind, do let me know, and I’ll try to get back.
> 
> For those of you who are here bc of the warning, Garnet lends Connie her future vision, giving her visions of their attempts to rescue Lapis, all of which end in character deaths, in an attempt to dissuade Connie from attempting to rescue Lapis once and for all.


	17. Interlude: Real

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pearl and Amethyst finally break.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this sucks
> 
> Warning: Capital U unhealthy relationships.

  Sometimes, when she’s feeling it, Amethyst does get into the mood for more… ‘refined’ modes of expression. She had been thinking about gathering up some paints and maybe scrounging up an easel from one of the more ‘Artsy’ piles of her room _(though she had to be careful, since she threw a plethora of cooking utensils into the Artsy piles, since fine cuisine was an art)._

 

  Unfortunately, today had to be the day Pearl came over to finally talk. And man, does she not get it.

 

  “Amethyst!” Pearl defaults to that tone that irritates Amethyst to the core, dodging past a thrown tire.

 

  “Go, away!” Amethyst growls, tossing down a washing machine down at Pearl, having taken refuge atop one of her piles, Pearl making no effort to traverse, nor leave.

 

  “That’s enough!” She pinches her nose in a gesture of frustration, “We need to move past this! For Connie!”

 

  More of the same? Fine. She’ll keep this show going on, and Amethyst can’t lie to herself; it’s so incredibly cathartic to throw stuff at the pale gem. “Fuck off!” A pillow. “Fuck off!” A hacksaw. “Fuck off!” A coin collection. Might as well throw her dignity down there while she’s at it, she’s really plummeting to rock bottom in the blink of an eye.

 

  “Don’t worry Pearl!” Amethyst plows on, throwing everything she has at the gem she’s fallen so hard for, “Everything’s just fine! We’ll just go on and pretend nothing ever happened, so Rose’s Legacy can be safe, from parasites like me!”

 

  “Amethyst!” Pearl rips at her hair, “This is pointless! I accept full responsibility for all past transgressions; don’t you see what we’re doing to Connie?”

 

  “Then leave!” She gestures exaggeratedly towards the direction of the temple exit

 

  “Not until we stop this… this ridiculous behavior! We need to be there for her, and our incessant feuding is impacting Connie’s development!”

 

  “Jesus-fucking-Christ Pearl, how thick are you!? How many fucking layers do you have in your thick gem head? You just don’t get it do you?”

 

  It’s wonderful to be able to scream at Pearl. To break her from her routine, to see what’s behind all her smoke and mirrors.

 

  “All you’ve ever cared about is Rose and her legacy! Even back when **he** was taking Rose from us, you wouldn’t even let me help you! Or talk to you. Instead, you used me, like this was all some sick game.”

 

  Pearl feels at her gem. Burns. Overheats.  “...I see.”

 

  Amethyst lets out some sort of desperate guffaw. “No you don’t! You just don’t get it!”

 

  “Get what!?”

 

  “Do I have to spell it out for you?”

 

  “Well apparently you do!”

 

  “Then you’re missing the point P!”

  “The point of what? The last decade or so of your… your **infuriating** behavior?”

 

  “My infuriating behavior!? I’d tell you to look in the mirror Pearly, but I think Lapis can attest to that!”

  Pearl tries to gather some sort of response to the low blow, but just ends up huffing useless air. Useless, she storms away, the nearby piles of junk swaying with her leave. Amethyst facepalms, calling to her once more; “You never took advantage of me back then; **I like you, you idiot!”**

 

  Pearl quickly freezes, her back facing Amethyst.

 

Oh. Oh.

 

  “Did I spell it out for you? Do I need to elaborate more on what I said?” She continues, mocking Pearl’s voice. Stars, she isn’t just digging her own grave, she’s drilling into it like it’s the Kindergarten all over again. “Did you really never notice all this time?”.

 

  She rolls her eyes when she starts hearing painfully quiet sobs coming from Pearl’s end. Her heart sinks, her teeth grit, and her hands begin to tremble; Amethyst is as predictable as Pearl’s routine by this point.

 

  “Pearl?” Amethyst tries after her, sliding down from her pile. “ _Shit Pearl, I’m so sorry._ I… I shouldn’t have said that..” She looks to Pearl, who’s crumbling before her, Amethyst soon to follow. “Pearl?”

 

  She gathers the courage to go near her, embracing the pale gem in as tight of an embrace as she can manage.

 

  It wasn’t that Amethyst didn’t want Rose’s attention as much as Pearl did, feeling as empty as Pearl whenever Rose found some other toy to get lost in. It wasn’t that Amethyst wasn’t the only one playing Pearl’s game.

 

   God they’re awful people. But that’s how it’s supposed to be, isn’t it? They’re _gems_ , not _human_. Humans grow and learn over a lifetime. Gems don’t.

 

  Hugging Pearl even tighter, she quietly cries as well. “A-Amethyst?” Pearl manages.

 

_Dear diary, I’m fucked in the head and so is she._

 

  “Shit P, I’m so sorry.” Amethyst whispers, rubbing circles in Pearl’s back.

 

  “Amethyst,” Pearl tries, “I, I don’t know what to say-”

 

  Amethyst shushes her, certain that trying to put their relationship into words would just make things worse.

 

  Because honestly, their relationship was toxic from the start. They fell into each other, whenever Rose found someone else more appealing than their company. Only to both lose Rose forever at the end of it all. What began as admiration, grew into longing on Amethyst’s part. Besides that, nothing connects them together. She’s heard that opposites attract, but this was just ridiculous; Amethyst was Amethyst, and Pearl was resident mayor of Boringville. She’s slept with Victorians who were more interesting than Pearl on a surface ‘coffee-date’ level.

 

  Pearl has always been a gem of exceptions; of exceptional beauty, and of exceptional luck, the shitty kind. She swore her heart to Rose forever, only to be left with Connie at the end of it all. She gave her life, her role, as fucked up as it was, to join the fight for a planet she never loved, would never learn to love.

 

  She has no idea what Pearl wants. She’s never known what Pearl’s wanted, really.

 

  “Amethyst?” Pearl whimpers.

 

  She only knows that Pearl still looks as gorgeous as she was when she first saw her; the Kindergarten, with Pearl being the first to discover, calling over Rose after having pinned Amethyst down with her weapon. Quite predictive of their future relationship really.

 

  Emotions are sticky things, but she can’t justify wanting to screw Pearl when she’s in the middle of an emotional breakdown. Stars, she’s not right for her.

 

  Stars. She still wants it though.

 

  Their relationship will likely never be ‘healthy,’ in the human sense.

 

  Still, she doesn’t resist when she feels Pearl’s fingers grasp at the front of her tank and pull her in.

 

  Amethyst closes her eyes and lets herself be kissed. When Pearl tugs at her, she can’t say no, not when Pearl’s hands shift to hold her own, guiding them to wrap around Pearl’s waist.

 

  She can make out the faint outlines of tears in her eyes. Pearl mumbles something to the line of “is-thish-okay?” to which Amethyst answers by biting at her lower lip. Pearl sighs into Amethyst’s mouth, returning in kind.

 

  She doesn’t know if Pearl’s just touch-starved, or horny, having never touched anyone like this for ten years. Eh. Not like Amethyst cared now.

 

  They kiss amidst the garbage, a fitting metaphor for what their relationship is like. Pearl’s hands on her face, her hands wrapped around Pearl. And although Amethyst doesn’t realize it, she holds onto Pearl like she’s adrift after a storm, lost at sea.

 

  She doesn’t want this to stop. She doesn’t want to talk. She doesn’t want to know. All she wants is this: Pearl’s lips meeting hers, her face caged within Pearl’s hands, the tips of Pearl’s fingers at the edges of her hair. And her own frame wrapping Pearl’ thinner body, the heat between them, how solid Pearl is underneath her, the feel of waist and neck, the spaces she wants to fill so badly between them. Everything is right there in front of her.

 

  Then Pearl breaks the kiss, her eyes leaking with tears.

 

  “I don’t know what’s happening anymore Amethyst.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Pearlmethyst in this stage is absolutely not in a healthy stage at this point. Making this clear.


	18. It Could Have Been Worse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connie and the Gems encounter another droid from space.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> eyyy longest chapter yet
> 
> Content Warning: Tobacco Use (Not by Minors)

**Steven (11:36)**

Hey! You mind if I come over tday after school?

I have a new song idea and I’m DYING to show you!

 

**Steven (12:24)**

Connie?

 

**Connie (13:11)**

Sorry! Gem business today, so I couldn’t respond quicker! Sure!

 

**Steven (13:17)**

You sure? If you’re busy, I can always wait-

 

**Connie (14:01)**

Nah, we’ll probably be done by then. Come on over!

 

_She couldn’t bring herself to say no to him either way, after all._

 

oOoOoOo

 

  Unfortunately for the two of them, the scene Steven walks in on upon touching down on the beach is one of battle. Sand dunes destroyed, evicted from their natural formations by war. The Crystal Gems engage in battle with some creature of sleek design; possibly the love child between Homeworld and Snapple’s design division.

 

  With seven conical legs disattached from the main spherical body, the creature’s walk is brought to a standstill by a charge on Garnet’s end; the creature meets her gauntlets head-on. Now a sitting duck, Garnet’s attack leaves it a fresh target from an onslaught of the air, led by none other than Amethyst and Pearl themselves.

 

  Opting to use their bodies as weapons, the two of them drop down from the sky, into the creature’s body. Impact buries the body in a cloud of smoke and sand thrown up from the environment around them; the creature is no more, but when the dust settles, what is left is not a gem, but the remains of it’s chassis, it’s body.

 

  Either Steven just became prime witness to a murder of an alien species or…

 

  “Robots.” Steven glows, starry-eyed. The battlefield is probably safe for now, and he wants to be briefed by Connie or one of the gems as to the situation, instead of speculating from the sidelines as he is now.

 

  Sure enough, joining the gems is Connie and Peridot, who apparently having opted to watch them from the sidelines.

 

  “What exactly was that?” Connie asks of the green gem.

 

  “Robonoids.” Peridot answers. “Plug Robonoids. From the size, this particular design is of the multi-function division. Meaning they’re more versatile than reconnaissance bots. Official doctrine designates that the role of a Plug Robonoid be when the environment of a planet is deemed difficult to traverse by traditional combat/repair robonoids, but their multi-use functionality designates them for missions more complicated than simple repair, or reconnaissance. For example, the construction of pre-stage zeta landing pads.”

 

  “So… what exactly is their objective?” Pearl asks, dispersing whatever kicked up sand remains.

 

  “You said that another Robonoid earlier this week made a landing on the other side of the planet?” Peridot asks Pearl, who nods. “Then the landing sites are not indicative of any planned trajectory and landing site. What they must be attempting to reach, is one of the warp pads. What they’re trying to warp to, I am not currently aware of.”

 

  “Then we can’t let them operate.” Garnet states, dusting her gauntlets, before phasing her weapons away.

 

  “Connie!” Steven calls out to her. Connie visibly jolts from her concentration; though she’s elated to seem him nonetheless. The grin that spreads on Steven’s face is almost enough to make her forget her skittishness she gets every time he asks to come over; when he makes it over to them, they throw their arms around each other.

 

  “Oh, Steven!” Pearl notices. “My sincere apologies for the current mess, but welcome, nonetheless.” Her gaze returns to the mess their front yard is, and she nervously laughs, “If you wanted to return at a different time, I’d understand-”

 

  Steven shakes his head before Pearl can continue, “It’s no problem, I really don’t mind. You should see my place whenever my parents are in the middle of tour work, it gets really bad when I don’t have help to clean.” He grins.

 

  “Oh…” Pearl warily sighs, grimacing at Steven’s description. “Oh…”

 

  “What exactly were those things?” Steven asks, starry eyed.

 

  “Oh, it’s nothing you need to get your nose stuck in Steven.” Pearl answers.

 

  “But maybe I want to get my nose stuck in it.” Steven grins at her, before frowning. “Huh.”

 

?

 

  Pearl realizes she’s been staring at him a bit too long, before she breaks her gaze. “Huh.”

 

  “They’re robonoids. From Homeworld.” Connie jumps in and breaks their mutual disorientation.

 

  “Really?” Steven glows. “Wait, where’s the circuitry, and all of that junk?”

 

  “It’s a G-2 class prototype.” Peridot answers, inspecting a piece of her own. “The G series  is an appropriation of nano-technology we managed to extract from a primitive space-faring civilization we managed to conquer several centuries back.” Peridot once again fails to display any spatial awareness, failing to notice the eyes on her, asking for a continuation. “...Why are you all looking at me?

 

  “We want you to continue.” Garnet motions.

 

  Peridot’s stance sinks a tiny bit. “One of the specializations I was programmed with upon my creation was nano-technology.”

 

  “Don’t mess with the grey goo?” Steven says lowly, to which Connie snickers, and falls flat on everyone else.

 

  Garnet’s attention returns to Peridot. “So this means you know how to use these.” Garnet states, to which Peridot shakes her head.

 

  “Well, yes, and no.” Peridot shrugs. “To put it more exactly, it’s only several centuries old, which means we still only know how to replicate it and put it to limited use. Though we do know how to operate it, we still don’t understand how it exactly works; we’re still compiling data, and we don’t want to fully mainstream a technology we don’t understand yet.”

 

 _“Don’t mess with the grey goo.”_ Steven whispers, to which Connie laughs at, and confusing just about everyone else.

 

   “How large can they get?” Pearl gawks at the wreckage.

 

  “Or gooey?” Amethyst joins the group, now completely drenched in nano-goop.

 

  Pearl scowls at her. “Amethyst, we need to be careful. We don’t know how dangerous this stuff is, much less the people who use it!”

 

  Amethyst snickers, before turning to Peridot, who’s clueless about what’s to come. She eventually notices Amethyst’s gaze on her, and turns from the wreckage. “What?”

 

 “Goop hug!” Amethyst immediately slams into Peridot with an embrace, covering the green gem in nano-goop.

 

  “GAH! WHAT EXACTLY ARE YOU DOING! THERE ARE BILLIONS UPON BILLIONS OF NANOBYTES IN THIS GOOP, I DEMAND YOU RELEASE ME AT ONCE!”

  “Don’t mess with the grey goo!” Connie calls out to them, snickering with Steven at the game they’re still playing.

 

  “Er… What?” Pearl really doesn’t get it.

 

  “Eh…” Steven shrugs. “It’s a sci-fi thing.”

 

  “Scy-fy?” Pearl frowns.

 

  “It doesn’t matter what it is.” Garnet states, Peridot still screaming at Amethyst in the background. “What matters, is that we can destroy it.”

 

  “That’s fair.” Steven adds.

 

  Peridot groans, before returning to the piece of wreckage she’s standing over, Amethyst still hugging her, Peridot grateful her cheeks are obscured by the goo. “From the looks of it… these were my robonoids.” Peridot sullens, visibly less obscured by the goo she’s covered with. “They were reassigned.”

 

  “Well you’re with us now.” Garnet grins at her, though failing to catch Peridot’s gaze, and suddenly being embraced with a goop hug from Amethyst.

 

  “If they were once yours…” Pearl muses, before scraping some of the goop off of a piece of wreckage, “Do you think we might be able to repair one?”  


  Peridot uncomfortably shifts. “Perhaps.”

 

  “This could be exciting then!” Pearl muses, before bringing out a broom and dustpan from her gem, “oh, it’d be so intriguing to get a larger glimpse what Homeworld’s come up since out abscence!”

 

  “And, it’d be a good project for you Peridot.” Garnet kneels to her level, to which Peridot notices and nervously grins.

 

  “I… suppose so.”

 

  “If Peridot’s the one who was in charge of these in the first place... then who’s in charge now?” Connie muses, having also taken an interest in the Plug Robonoid remains.

 

  “Another Peridot.” Peridot answers herself.

 

  “There are more of you out there!?” Steven glows at Peridot, before stifling a snicker at the thought of thousands of Peridots in a room, grating on each other’s nerves.

 

  Connie puts a hand on his shoulder. “Want me to explain it to you over lunch?”

 

oOoOoOo

 

  “So you guys really think Homeworld’s coming back?” Steven asks, knife in hand and glazing a generous amount of jam spread on his toast, reheated by Pearl who Steven claims always knows _“just the right amount of heat and time to prepare it with.”_

 

  The view out to sea is splendid, as it always was in the afternoon (or any time of day for that matter,) the two having elected to host their lunch where the Gems did Connie’s laundry.

 

  “We can’t know for certain.” Connie answers. “We know these robonoids are being sent here, but being sent here for what? All we know is that Homeworld has their eye on us. For now, all we can do is dig in, and hope we can come up with something that can destroy whatever Homeworld sends at us.” She furrows. “We’ll do whatever it takes to defend our home. She places her fist to her heart.

 

  “That was really, really cool.” Steven glows.

 

  Connie sits back down, suddenly feeling self-consciousness. “What?”

 

  “What you just said… and the pose. Sorry, was I being judgy?”

 

  Connie shakes her head. “Not at all. Good to know I can at least look the part of a hero. Well, an actual hero, not like those runway-model male-gaze caricatures of women so common in the media.”

 

  “Relatable.” Steven shifts uncomfortably. “Hey, I was wondering…”

 

  “Yes?”

 

  “You guys have always been busy with gem stuff, and it looked like you could use an extra hand or two?” Steven grins, “I was wondering if I could… help you all out, since I don’t really have that many commitments after school.”

 

  Connie shifts her lips in confusion. “What would you be able to help us out with?” How blunt her words are doesn’t connect with her after they leave her mouth. “I mean, just so we don’t put you in danger, of course!”

 

  Steven’s eyes go starry. “Moral support!”

 

  Connie tries to keep an encouraging smile. “Moral… support.”

 

  “Of course! Working hard is important, but _feeling_ good is important too.”

 

  As mundane as that sounded, morale was important to keep during times of war… though it didn’t occur to her until now how strange and messed up it was someone her age was treating her situation like a military operation; most of her time was spent with Garnet and Pearl. And spending time with them could feel as if they were playing from the same old rulebook as the rebellion before Connie hadn’t even seen.

 

   Steven’s voice knocks her back to reality. “And I could carry your stuff on missions, and could offer up some extra hands around the house if need be. Or watch Peridot! I know you guys need a chaperone for her 24/7, so I can free one of your hands up?”

  

  “I…” Connie’s lips purse, as she tries to come up with an answer. She really didn’t know what to say to him; gems didn’t need to bring anything on missions thanks to Pearl’s gem compartment, and whatever equipment Connie had brought along was growing progressively lighter with each mission thanks to her easing into the routine. She meets Steven’s gaze, a mistake, given that it was no surprise he was now starry-eyed.

 

  Stars, she was starting to sound like Pearl.

 

  It’d probably be a bad idea to bring him on missions; Connie’s body was more durable and healed far quicker than the average human’s, and the gems were often stretched to the limit trying to protect her. And as for help around the house, the house chores were often taken out of everyone’s hands due to her insistence on perfection, with Connie helping when she could; an extra hand would be almost useless at that point. And Peridot… they still didn’t fully trust her yet. Based on her internal logic, everything seemed to be pointing towards a final answer.

 

  Sighing, she resteels her nerves to give him her final answer. “Okay.”

 

  “Connie!” Steven glows.

 

  She grins back at him, his excitement infectious. “I’ll see about asking the gems what you can help us out with, and I’ll see about finding things you can help me out with.”

 

  “It’s official. I am now… _Steven, the shield-bearer_!” He takes a bite out of his toasted jam, delighting in the jam spread. “Or at the very least, jam buds.”

 

  She sighs in relief. “Jam buds.”

 

  Enunciating Steven’s second bite, is an inhumanely loud lashing sound that whips across the atmosphere, loud enough to cause the temple, alongside the earth underneath it, to tremble. Steven jumps at the recoil, stammering out panic. “Did I jam it too loud!?”

 

  Connie’s all too aware of what’s happening; another entrance into the atmosphere. A glimmering light whips across the daylight sky; before fading into the distance unknown. “Come on!” She grabs his hand, leading him to the warp pad. “This way!”

 

  “Wait, what!?” Steven confusedly stumbles, fumbling his jam bread out of his hands, and leaving it behind as the warp pad whisks them away.

 

  They arrive back inside the main household, though Steven falls flat on his face; still not used to warping yet. The Gems as Connie predicted, are on high alert and rushing back towards the warp pad, Peridot in tow. Pearl and Garnet likely already have the coordinates in their heads, so all she and Steven need to do is wait for them.

 

  “Wait! Where are you taking me!?” Peridot demands of Pearl.

 

  “We’ll need you for the autopsy” Garnet orders.

 

  “Autopsy!? Do you think I _want_ to be witness to another destruction and mutilation of one of my things!?”   


  With no confirmation for Peridot’s request, the four gems scurry onto the warp pad, before activating it, and whisking all six of them to their destination.

 

  When the warp stream ends, both Connie and Steven are greeted by a familiar sight; Steven meets the warp pad again, while greeting Connie is a sweltering tropical climate, and a thick layer of foliage surrounding them, encapsulating, covering their world. It was Mask island, once inhabited by the invisible gem monster that had taken them an entire week to stake out.

 

  Now home to precisely one freshly landed Plug Robonoid.

 

  Fortunately for them, the Plug Robonoid has no sense of stealth, and walks in on them from the jungle surrounding them; unaware of the presence of it’s foes.

 

  “Is it looking for a warp?” Pearl asks.

 

  “We have to stop it!” Garnet orders, leading the charge, conjuring up her gauntlets.

 

  Pearl and Amethyst follow in lockstep, weapons free. “At least try to keep it intact!” Peridot protests.

 

  “I’ll never get used to warping…” Steven groans, followed by impact; the incredibly one-sided battle ends smoke and goop cast _everywhere_ on the Island’s surface, and the Plug Robonoid’s destruction. Given how quick the battle ended, it might as well have exploded on impact.

 

  Connie kneels down to check up on him. “You okay?” She asks, receiving a thumbs up from him in return. Assured of her friend’s safety, she rushes towards the battle site, rejoining the gems. “How many of these things is Homeworld going to send?”

 

  “I was delegated the control of seventy-eight robonoids.” Peridot sullens. “Though if this planet is as important to Homeworld as you clods treat it, then they’ll assign my replacement as many as it takes.”

 

  Garnet, brisking in the silence of reflection post-battle, takes a moment to compose her thoughts on the matter, ignoring the eyes currently focused on her.

 

  “...Garnet?” Pearl voices.

 

  “I’m thinking.”

 

  “Right.” Pearl nods, before turning to Connie. “Connie, are you and your friend Steven okay…”She frowns in disapproval. “Connie? What is Steven doing here?”

 

  Connie freezes, before awkwardly trying to laugh the tension off. “Oh you know… Steven just wanted to help us out with the whole-being space superheroes thing we have going on ha-hah…”She tries to force a smile, but it there’s one trait Pearl’s most definitely passed on to Connie, it was her ability to fake it, while playing it cool.  “Please?” She adds.

 

  “You want to help us.” Pearl raises an eyebrow at the starry-eyed boy.

 

  “Yeah! I can carry stuff for you, I can watch over your stuff, I can-”

 

  “All logistics are handled by me.” Pearl reassures him. “Steven, I’m just not sure if we can keep you safe-”

 

  “You don’t have to keep me safe! I can stay behind Connie, and watch while you guys do your thing. And I can cheer you on! Please Pearl?”

 

  “I… I’m… not so sure about this…” Pearl reluctantly answers, trying not to disappoint the boy’s sympathy gaze.

 

  “Not so sure about this Steven.” Amethyst creeps up from behind him, making him jump. “Being a hero’s tough work. You have to fight monsters 24/7, with no times for breaks. You end up dedicating your body and what time you have on this planet to the cause, time you can _never_ get back.”

 

  “Amethyst, you literally slept through the whole day yesterday.” Connie deadpans her, to which Amethyst shoots the two of them a thumbs up.

 

  Steven returns to Pearl. “Please Pearl? I wanna help! I mean, I don't know what'll happen in the future, or what dangers we’ll be facing, but if something dangerous comes along, I don't wanna be a burden, I wanna help!” He blushes, “I wanna be there for Connie, so I can help her, and fight by her side! The Earth is my home too, can't I help protect it?”

 

  Something (or well, everything,) in Steven’s speech seems to have swayed her, since now Pearl’s done a complete turn-around, misty-eyed and starry, complete with Amethyst rolling her eyes in the background. “Oh… okay.” She smiles.

 

  “Uh… Garnet?” Amethyst voices.

 

  “No.” Garnet picks at a piece of wreckage.

 

  “Please?”

 

  “No. We’re severely understaffed recently, considering the fact that we’re looking after Peridot and Connie Steven.”

 

  “Please?” He whispers.

 

  Garnet sighs, before turning to meet his gaze; they star into each other’s eyes for what seems to be an eternum, until Garnet finally breaks the gaze.

 

  “I swear this boy has Connie’s eyes.” Garnet readjusts her visor, before leaving in the direction of the warp pad.

  


  “So… was that a yes, or a no?” Steven asks, to which Pearl shrugs, and Connie tries to give him a reassuring look.

 

  “Means you just got a classic Garnet answer.” Amethyst answers for her.

 

oOoOoOo

 

_Interlude: Holes_

 

  Amethyst’s favorite spot to nap in her room is a hollow in the earth, adorned with blankets, cushions, and pillows all straight from the cozy pile. It’s a particularly private spot for her, though not explicitly stated as such. It was just that other gems so rarely visited her room, save to pilfer whatever they can from her belongings.

 

  Which is why it comes as a surprise that the first sight to greet Amethyst when she awakens from her midday nap is Garnet. Kneeling over her sleeping form, and as stoic and inscrutable as  as ever.

 

  “You’re here.” Amethyst struggles to fully wake up; she would much have rather been greeted by the loneliness she was so often accustomed to. Even Peri would have been preferred, surprisingly, she supposes preferred is too weak of a word to describe her newfound friend in Peridot. She figures she might be able to introduce her to sleeping in the future, maybe a roommate-

 

  “That I am.” Garnet readjusts her visor, returning Amethyst to the present. “This is partly about Steven.”

 

  “What about him.” Amethyst asks her, wanting her to get to the point already so she can go back to sleep.

 

  Amethyst isn’t sure exactly what _it_ is, there’s a lot of things that feel off that are going on in Amethyst’s life right now, so Garnet’s question just gets her a look from Amethyst that demands details.

 

  “Steven. Connie’s friend.”

 

  Well figures. It wasn’t just her that was feeling it.

 

  She bites her tongue. “You’re getting weird vibes from him too?”

 

  Garnet nods. “I can feel his _potential._ ” _Potential_ , the form of energy that like all others,  couldn’t be converted, destroyed, only rearranged. Known in Western human lore as _mana, or magika, Potential_ is the form of energy that from which, all life flows out of. The lifeblood of all gems.

 

  “Maybe he spends too much time around us.” Amethyst rubs a weary eye, though she could just shapeshift her weary form off; there’s something more authentic in waking up and feeling like absolute shit as humans liked to do. “We’re rubbing off of him maybe?”

 

  Garnet purses her lips. “It’s very hard for my future vision to detect him. See into him, his future. It’s… clouded, to say the least.” Garnet’s visor gleams; her eyes underneath are weary and… scared. “Coffee?” Garnet tries to distract herself by being accommodating; the nice thing about Amethyst’s private abode is that it comes stocked with all the commodities humans considered ‘morning.’

 

  “Nah.” Amethyst shakes her head. She’s not sure why Garnet’s discussing this with her when Pearl’s still active. Maybe having her future vision fail her is starting to humble her, but in that case, she’s got a long way to go until she reaches Amethyst’s level.

 

  “It it like when you try to look into Connie?” _A black hole,_ is what Garnet had described it to them (her and Pearl) several weeks ago.

 

  “I’m getting better at determining what I can, and what I can’t see with her. If she’s in any danger. What she might do for the day. But when I try to look into how she’s growing, who she might develop into… it all just escapes me.”

 

  It was a sight she’d never thought she’d see after Rose went and bit the dust; Garnet. Afraid. In front of her. “Why are you telling this to me, and not Pearl?

 

  “I had figured you were dealing with what’s been going on between the two of you in a more… healthy manner.”

 

  Amethyst snickers. “So you know what happened between me and Pearly?”

 

  Garnet remains expressionless. “For more or less.”

 

  Amethyst laughs. “Well shit G, I didn’t know you were a peeping tom.”

 

  Garnet raises her hands in innocence. “It doesn’t take a mind reader to figure out what’s going on in Pearl’s head. You should know that.”

 

  At that, Amethyst laughs, before grabbing a pack of vintage Lucky Stars from her bedstand. Shapeshifting a lighter from her fingers, Amethyst tries not to feel Garnet’s gaze as she brings the lit cigarette to her lips.

 

  She knows Garnet’s trying not to ask the obvious question; if she’s been smoking in front of the kids. To which the answer is a no, she’s not that much of a fuckup in her life yet.

 

  “You have my faith in you in dealing with this.” Garnet says to her instead.

  
  Their eyes aren’t meeting.

 

  “Wish you could spread a little bit of your knowledge between the two of us, miss _‘Made-of-Love.’_ Some future vision would go a long way in helping the two of us, you know. Getting back to peak strength.” Amethyst mumbles.

 

  Garnet sighs, leaning against a pile of furniture. “I could. But it’d be missing the point.” She sighs, “And don’t think of it like that. That’s not what I think of your… situation with Pearl.”

 

  “Garnet, let me be real with you here; we’re three steps away from fucking, but our heads are so far up our own asses we’ve been going in circles for the past ten or so years.”

 

  Garnet doesn’t try to comment. “For what it’s worth, I don’t know what _will_ happen between you and Pearl.”

 

  Amethyst sighs; she doesn’t want to be treated as an adult for this. But she doesn’t want to be treated as a kid either. So even though she knew was unfair to be frustrated by Garnet, she knew that everytime the fusion gave her a non-answer, every word that came out of the fusion’s mouth just made Amethyst want to chuck furniture at her more and more.

 

  “The only thing I can tell you, is that you and Pearl are running on limited time here.”

 

  It’s always about Connie isn’t it? It always has been, ever since Rose decided to up and leave them behind on this small rock. Make them solve everything. Make Amethyst solve everything fucked up with Pearl because Rose didn’t want any of that baggage-

 

  “I know that.” Amethyst refocuses, taking another drag from her cigarette. “Connie’s noticed by now, huh?”

 

  “Yup.” Garnet pops the P.

 

  Amethyst sighs, desperately trying to enjoy the tobacco. “That kid’s going to hate us when she grows older, won’t she?” It’s a question she doesn’t expect to receive an answer to, and doesn’t all the same.

 

  Garnet’s visor goes expressionless. “I trust you Amethyst.”

 

  Amethyst groans. “Do I have a choice?”

 

  Garnet approaches, before kneeling down to her level, despite the smoke flowing from Amethyst’s drag. “You always do.” And she plops a gentle kiss onto her chubby cheek; one that wasn’t meant to be read as platonic or romantic, but simply Garnet.

 

  “Heh, what brings this on? You haven’t been affectionate in centuries.”

 

  Garnet snickers, her breath hot against Amethyst’s skin. “For listening to me.”

 

  Amethyst flushes, acting coy. “Shucks, you’re sweet.”

 

oOoOoOo

 

  Peridot’s pointer slams against the whiteboard; the Homeworld gem’s spent the past few hours drawing up diagrams for the robonoids to present the results of her and Pearl’s collaboration. They’re twenty-three destroyed robonoids into the crisis; and though gems couldn’t get _physically_ exhausted, each of their forms are starting to show wear.

 

  “The capabilities of the robonoids you’ve destroyed so far,” Peridot stifles a glare at her host gems, “are limited primarily to durability in moderate environments, and the manipulation of the manual limbs. Given that each robonoid so far, according to _your_ testimony has made for the nearest warp pad, it’s safe to conclude that the current mission involves the reactivation of an old gem facility on this planet.”   


  Peridot’s taken the reins of today’s briefing; always held before embarking on the mission where the gems _(usually Pearl,)_ would determine mission objectives, battle formations, what objectives the Crystal Gems would likely be facing, and any resources needed to be brought along for the missions. Though the Gems had abandoned these briefings long before Connie’s birth _(the battle styles of Garnet and Amethyst rendering Pearl’s role as tactician ignored)._

 

  The resurgence of Homeworld and the admission of Peridot as a supplement to the team meant that briefings would have to return, lest the team stumble around due to confusion on everyone’s part.”

 

  “Me and Pearl were unable to reconstruct one of the robonoids.” Peridot admits, absentmindedly toying with her whiteboard marker. “This was due to the… _total_ nature of your damage inflicted on… _my_ robonoids, the limited time alotted to us, and the fact that all robonoids require certain industrial processes to manufacture, processes that Earth’s current level of technology is incapable of.”

 

  “If the robonoids are really attempting to access the warp pads,” Pearl jumps in, “Then what facilities would be of most notable interest to Homeworld?” Pearl frowns, before grimacing. “Garnet, you don’t think-”  


  Garnet crosses her arms. “It’s Homeworld. We can’t discount that possibility.”  


  Connie raises her hand, demanding to be let in on what the two war veterans are able to communicate without words. “What possibility?”

 

  Pearl looks to Garnet for confirmation, who subtly nods. “The Kindergarten.”

 

  Amethyst groans, picking at the sweets layed out for what Amethyst termed to be the ‘Shorty Squad’ _(Amethyst, Connie, and Peridot,)_ to indulge in. “Crud, why do they have to get up all in my space? Why can’t they just leave it alone?”

 

  “Could we tail them?” Connie raises. “Maybe learn what exactly they’re trying to get to?”

 

  “We would need to tail it closely,” Pearl answers, “to make sure these… things, don’t cause any irreversible damage.”

 

  “So we have two choices.” Garnet presents. “We could try tailing one, and decommission it once it reaches it’s destination. Once that’s done and over with, we decomission whatever it is the Robonoid in question wants to activate. The second choice being that we fend them off forever. And quite frankly, I really don’t want to do the second option.”

 

 “Robonoids are designed for reconnaissance, and won’t seek out enemies, nor have the capacity to identify potential threats.” Peridot jumps in. “Thus, as long as we don’t antagonize the Robonoid, you can confirm whether or not the Kindergarten is their target.”

 

  Amethyst sighs. “Are we seriously going to tail one of those creepy grey goop things?”

 

  “I concur with Amethyst on being skeptical.” Pearl follows. “We still might be underestimating what it is that these… things, are trying to activate.”

 

  “If the target is the Kindergarten, then all I’ll need to do is identify a maintenance hatch.” Peridot rejoins. I also attended to the maintenance and operation of Kindergartens in my… previous role.” Peridot sighs. “What Homeworld wants with one of your long decommissioned Kindergarten facilities is beyond me, but I’m sure you might be able to figure it out.”

 

  Garnet sits up from her chair. “Then that settles it. I say, we go with the first option.”

 

  Pearl tries for a reassuring look from Amethyst, only to be stonewalled.

 

  “Am I coming along?” Connie asks.

 

  Garnet stretches her limbs. “Of course. You’re a Crystal Gem, aren’t you?”

 

  The half-gem laughs when Garnet reaches down to scruffle her hair.

 

  “Garnet,” Pearl goes up to her, “do you really think it’s a good idea to be taking Connie to a… Kindergarten?”  


  “It’s okay!” Connie disputes, “I’ve…” her gaze falls on Amethyst, who only looks to be trying to make herself smaller in her seat. “Prepared myself. Mentally.” She nervously laughs.

 

  “I think she’s mature enough.” Garnet confirms, to which Connie can’t help but grin. The fusion turns to Peridot. “Thank you Peridot, your information was vital.”

 

  Peridot just fiddles with her marker in response. “Did I have a choice?”

 

  “Yes.” Garnet answers. “You always do.”

 

  Though Amethyst laughs, what Garnet says doesn’t help make Peridot any less confused about herself.

 

oOoOoOo

 

  When the Plug Robonoid confirms it’s destination as the Kindergarten, it takes only seconds for group one, Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl, to warp into the Kindergarten and plow into the drone, shredding it immediately.

 

  Smoke obscures the forms of the Crystal Gems and the oppressive aura of the Kindergartens; Connie tries to make out their forms through her observation post, but ends up coughing a fit when the wind turns her way. Groaning, she flicks on her radio.

 

  “Amethyst? Do you read?”

 

  Amethyst slowly staggers out of the smoke from exhaustion _(again, purely a state of mind_ , _)_ before plopping face-first into the ground. “Copy Connie. Just give me a few extra years to get up, will ya?”

 

  Amethyst gets a thumbs up on Connie’s end, before Pearl and Garnet emerge from the smoke.

 

  “So it was the Kindergarten… but why?” Pearl worriedly toys with her chin, “Garnet, do you think they might be trying to activate it-”

 

  “Let’s ask the expert here. Peridot?”

 

  Group two; staffing an observation post in the Kindergarten in case the Kindergarten was confirmed as the Plug Robonoid’s destination, was made up of Peridot and Connie. It’s an easy job for the most part, but Peridot isn’t invested. She’s not bored though, just more invested in her surroundings versus her assigned post.

 

  It takes Peridot a moment to stand to attention. “What is it?” She absentmindedly responds, gaze locked on one of the emergence holes.

 

  “Would you know what the robonoid was trying to accomplish here?” Garnet asks.

 

  Peridot sighs. “There isn’t much a Plug Robonoid could do here, save for accessing the maintenance tunnels to reach the control center. Once that’s accomplished, the limited functionality of the Plug Robonoid leads me to conclude that Homeworld is attempting to access the functions of this Kindergarten wirelessly. All that would be required on the Plug Robonoid’s end, is a simple activation of the central command console.”

 

  “Then that’s where we’re headed.” Garnet responds. “Everyone, on me.”

 

  Amethyst groans. “Fine, if it means we’re done with this crud before the next one…”

 

  “Peridot, you lead the way.”  


  “What else can I do?” Peridot shrugs.

 

  The Kindergarten is as dead and empty as the last time Connie went there with Amethyst; there is little else more to note about it save for how extraordinarily _dead_ it is, there is no life. The skies are colorless, and yet are not devoid of color; they are simply empty. The earth underneath their feet both withers at their touch, but is stubbornly impenetrable all the same. The air is sterile, yet does not smell clean; and with every breath; she is empty and breathless all the same.

 

  “Was… this really where they make you guys?” Connie turns to Pearl, whose gaze is stuck to the Earth below as if trying to avoid the void around her; then she remembers that it was her, gemkind and gemkind alone caused this, and can never return it back to what it was.

 

  “Pearl?” She tries.

 

  Pearl shakes from her stupor, Garnet lies expressionless under her visor, and Amethyst looks as if she just wants to get the damned thing over with.

 

  “Connie?”

 

  “They make Gems here. I was wondering about it, but-”

 

  Pearl laughs softly. “Yes, they did.” She extends a finger towards one of the drill machines scattered amongst the ruin, “Injectors. They mine for materials here in the earth, and condense it into solid material. This forms the raw gemstone that makes up our ‘true’ bodies, and yours. But without _Potential,_ we’re just lifeless rocks. You remember what _Potential_ is Connie?”

 

  Connie nods. “Of course. The purest form of energy, required for the _spark_ of life.”

 

  “Very good.” Pearl goes on, drained of her usual energy when discussing Gem history. “The injectors plant our bodies into the Earth to mechanically drain it of _Potential,_ and concentrate it into our bodies. The average Gem cut holds more _potential_ compared to millions of humans alone; that much energy concentrated in our bodies forms the basis of _magic._ ”

 

  “So in order to make a gem… they have to take it from planets that have _potential._ ” Connie asks.

 

  “All planets theoretically have _potential.”_ Pearl follows. “It’s just that for life to form on it’s own, a planet would need to have a minimum of five-hundred fifty-four units of _potential_ per square meter. Earth has a measured seven-hundred-thirty seven, the moon one-hundred fifty-two. Homeworld was considered to be the perfect world; one-thousand units per square meter. That is, until… we came along, and took it from the planet’s soil.”

 

  “You mean rearranged it.” Peridot adds.

 

  It takes Peridot a nudging from Connie to notice all eyes are on her now. “What? I’m just stating a fact. A Kindergarten doesn’t just take _potential_ from a planet’s soil; it only rearranges it into more efficient forms.”

 

  “Efficient?” Pearl glares.

 

  Peridot takes notice of the spotlight aren’t here. “I’m just stating what I know. That’s why I’m here, aren’t I?” Peridot says lowly.

 

  “Look around you Peridot.” Garnet orders. “Can’t you see the difference between this place and the rest of Earth? It’s dead. Turned to lifeless rock. Dust. We’ve taken all _potential_ for life here, and crushed it.”

 

  “And what I’m trying to clarify, is that the process of a Kindergarten simply just rearranges _potential._ Reforming it to create new forms of life!” Peridot protests. “You’re telling me, that the millions of gems in out empire aren’t living out their lives to the fullest potential?”

 

  “The potential of the Diamonds Peridot.” Garnet responds cooly. “That’s what you don’t understand. This facility is used to take life, not create it.”

 

  “And what you don’t understand, is that in taking life from this _rock,_ we convert it! Reform it! Rearrange it, to new forms of life! A form of life, that I was very satisfied with, until you ripped me from it!”

 

  “You don’t understand anything, about this place.” Pearl heads her challenge off. “This facility is made to take life, not create it-”

 

  “I think, as per my role, I have a very good idea of how a Kindergarten works.” Peridot seethes back, matching her glare. “And for the record, I never said anything about taking, and creating, because that isn’t what a Kindergarten does!”

 

  “And I think you’re forgetting the purpose of your being here-”

 

  “I’m here, because I know things about the Kindergarten that you don’t! Is that not why you brought me here!?” Peridot’s raised to a fever pitch, “That’s all I know about because of Homeworld according to you! That’s all Homeworld is, according to _you_! We’re all just muddy clods, clodding around in the dirt! So why, are you yelling at me, about the very assignments, YOU ASKED ME TO DO!?”

 

  The two are left at an impasse, Peridot unwilling to back down.

 

  “If I had my limb enhancers, I wouldn’t look so small to you, _Pearl_.” Peridot seethes at her.

 

  Amethyst is the first of them to actually intervene; “Alright you two! Peri, you wanna go with me? Maybe the...” Amethyst looks at Garnet for approval, who nods, “three of you wanna stay behind and keep inventory or some other crud?” Amethyst forces (maybe) a grin for Peridot’s expense, Pearl and Peridot refuse to break their mutual glares for the moment.

 

  A few more nudges from Amethyst, and Peridot eventually tries to follow. Pearl tries to keep her gaze, before looking away, and making way for Peridot and Amethyst, splitting the party.

 

  “Garnet?” Connie looks to her for reassurance.

 

  “Peridot’s just homesick Connie. It was bound to happen.”

 

  Pearl lets out a weary sigh, burying her face in her hands. “That was my fault… I shouldn’t have let things escalate so quickly!” She looks in the direction Peridot and Amethyst left for wistfully, “we were doing so well before...”

 

  Garnet tries a reassuring hand on Pearl’s shoulder. “She wasn’t angry at _you_ Pearl. You just unfortunately happened to be there when everything went off.”

 

  “Why me then?” Pearl wearily sighs.

 

  Garnet wearily smiles. “Well, because you’re _you_.”

 

  Pearl looks over at Garnet confusedly; she just doesn’t get it, which Connie tries to stifle a laugh at.

 

  Connie clears her throat. “If Peridot was right about what she said, then doesn’t that mean we could restore this place,” she motions at the tomb world around her, “to whatever it was?”

 

  Pearl’s gaze is lost in the tomb world, trying to come up with answers. “Well, she was right about the whole process being a ‘rearrangement’ of _potential._ But as always, it’s more complicated than that. Some parallels can be drawn with radiation; once an area is ruined, drained of all _potential,_ the environment is so damaged that it simply can’t sustain organic life anymore. It simply just… rejects, so to speak.”

 

  Much to Connie’s dismay, neither Garnet nor Pearl have any hope in them to reassure her, drained by the environment around them. “Your mother tried Connie, so long ago. She tried gardening, she moved entire beds of Earth,” Garnet motions towards a cave-in in to Connie’s right, “she even tried terraforming the landscape to allow water to come in. Nothing worked, and everything she brought in dried up and was spit back out by the Kindergarten.”

 

  A brief lull in the exposition; the tomb around them takes it’s toll on all three Crystal Gems, with even the most fleeting gifts of peace granted to them made eerie and unsettling by the emptiness.

 

  “Yo!” Amethyst’s voice echoes, seemingly unaffected by it all; it does make sense though, since this is technically her home. “Peri found something! Check it out!”

 

  She doesn’t complain, but when Connie picks her feet back up, she somehow feels even less rested than before. “Alright gems. Move out.” Garnet orders, Pearl and Connie in tow.

 

  “It’s safe to say that nothing will live here for as long as our universe continues to exist.” Pearl finishes. Another brief sigh, and Connie is reminded just how old Pearl and Garnet are. Pearl grants her a last smile though, that makes her feel warm amidst all the nothing. “Who knows? Maybe you’ll be able to fix it all someday.”

 

oOoOoOo

 

   “Maintenance hatch.” Amethyst answers of their inquiries once they’ve made it over, “Peri’s working on it right now.”

 

  Peridot scrunches over a seemingly undistinguishable tile, trying to buff out whatever it is underneath it all. “Because I don’t have any access to my limb enhancers, I would consider us locked out of the facility save for means by brute force. Fortunately, this model of Kindergarten, though exceptional, is archaic, meaning I can probably splice into the hatch with a little unearthing on our part.

 

  Five shovels _(on Pearl’s end)_ later, several wires are unearthed from their project, and Peridot orders them to make way, asking for a pair of clippers on Pearl’s end.

 

  One manual entry later, and they were in; a square-shaped hatch bores it’s way into the surface, assumingly leading into the interior of the facility. Amethyst pats her on the back, making Peridot jump. “Nice work. You do any of your nerd moves on that thing?”

 

  Peridot nervously smiles. “Eh, I just cut all the wires I could find until something happened.”

 

  “Simple.” Amethyst teases. “I like it.”

 

  Peridot flusters, and Connie catches a nervous laugh on Pearl’s part.

 

  The team dives in, sliding down the slanted entryway as a group, Peridot clinging to Amethyst for stability.

 

  “I can’t believe I’m doing this…” Connie catches Pearl whispering.

 

  The surface rock of the Kindergarten gives away to a mess of wiring, tubes almost twice a human’s size that Connie had suspected only existed in supercomputing. “Whoa.”

 

  All five Crystal Gems manage to land on both feet into some hexagonal schema, now metallic and lime-green as Peridot’s color schema. “Shit Peri, it’s even green like you.” Amethyst observes, taking a wary step forwards.

 

   “...Thank you?”

 

  “Amethyst, language.” Pearl scolds.

 

  “You two. Don’t fight.” Garnet tries, before gesturing upwards, and extending a hand towards Connie and Peridot, granting the two a boost.

 

  Peridot struggles to climb even the most basic of lifts, Connie marvels over another discovery of ancient gem technology, nefarious though it’s purpose may be.

 

  “This is what Homeworld is trying to get to?” Connie asks Peridot, who’s recovering from her ‘climb.’ “Peridot?”

 

  “Likely. If my hypothesis is correct, then what the assigned replacement peridot is attempting to accomplish by sending by robonoids here, is a manual link-up. This facility is likely already receiving signals from wherever the peridot is based; meaning we can’t manually activate this facility without accepting communications with her. What she will notice however, is if this facility is… decommissioned, so to speak.”

 

  “If that’s the case,” Garnet starts, phasing on her gauntlets, “then let’s send her a message.” Phasing on two rocket-auxiliary gauntlets of maximum size, Garnet fires off at the central command console, obliterating the central command console in one go. “Looks like we won’t be taking any more calls.”

 

  “Nice G.”

 

  “Anything else left here Peridot?” Garnet dusts off her gauntlets. “Peridot?”

 

  “Ah. I suppose not.” Peridot lowly utters.

 

  “Maybe you and Pearl’d like to have a look at the wreckage.” Garnet suggests. “We’re shouldn’t be in any rush right now.”

 

  “Garnet?” Pearl awkwardly looks over to Peridot, who just ignores her in favor of checking out the rubble on her own, joined by Connie.

 

  Clicking.

 

  Exposed from the wreckage of the facility surface are countless tubes that seem to lead to nowhere. Their number is many, though the destruction of the central computing hub should render them disabled, unless…

 

  Clicking.

 

  “Guys.” Connie freezes. “Movement.”

 

  All Crystal Gems freeze; trying to locate the source of the clicking and the writhing. Everywhere, it turns out to be. Peridot inspects a tube, none the wiser; all four Crystal Gems rush over when Peridot screams.

 

  “Peri!? What did you see?” Amethyst drags her away.

 

  “I…” Peridot freezes, her hands flailing to try to get a better sense of self, “I don’t know.” She whimpers.

 

  Pearl brings out her nagainta. “Connie, stand back.”

 

  Connie nods, letting Garnet and Pearl take point.

 

  Then.

 

  A mass of fleshy limbs, dismembered dismembered and rejoined into one form. It squirms and struggles, and yet it moves, although it is incomplete all the same. A hand of one color, a leg of another, a foot of a third and a fresh abdomen of a fourth; it crawls and crawls and it becomes one whole. And yet is incomplete.

 

  “What is that!?” Pearl shrieks.

 

  “Dunno, don’t ask me!” Amethyst bares out her weapon.

 

  Another mass is here; it is through a pipe it came. It’s form is twice what Garnet is sized. Form made of gibbed fingers and hands, fresh off the cutter. Fresh from the slaughter; it’s limbs are limbs, it’s many is many, it’s form is form. Crawls. Writhes. Shrieks. Yet loves.

 

  “Garnet?” Connie panics, looking to the leader for reassurance, but finds none.

  
  Garnet fails to react to the many that grab her, that want to make her whole. That want to complete her, obliterate her, her self, and her selves. “I…” Garnet tries.   


  More arrive. They walk on legs, their legs walk on arms, their arms walk on legs. They swarm the Crystal Gems whole; the Crystal Gems panic in fear.

 

  “What do we do!? Garnet!?” Pearl cries for help.

 

  “This is really friggin janked!” Amethyst panics amidst a horde of moans, broken only by the cracking of her whip.

 

  Rose’s sword is bared in defense; though it’s wielder is shaking, her grip is shaking, and her form is shaking; she wants to back into a wall, but finds none amongst the swarm surrounding her.

 

  “Are they… shards?” Connie voices.

 

  “They’re… us.” Pearl cries, amidst the one sorrow.

 

  “These were Crystal Gems, shattered into pieces. They were buried together.” Garnet gasps breathlessly as the one grabs hold of her, never letting go.

 

  They come and come and come; freshly cut, freshly made, freshly alive. Their moans become inescapable, the horde becomes thick. Each swing of Rose’s sword brings with it ten slaughter, only for twenty more to take their place.

 

  “Garnet, please!” Connie cries.

 

  “They were forced together! They were forced to fuse!” Garnet gasps. “I’m sorry…”  


  Garnet’s form turns white, amidst all that surrounds her; her form cuts into two, though not split.

 

  “Garnet! We need you! Please!” Pearl’s form can barely be made out; two nagainta in hand, she’s backed into a corner against sheer numbers. Amethyst and Peridot are gone underneath the horde.

 

  Garnet… there was no question, she was becoming unfused. “Garnet! Please! Keep it together! We… I… I need you!” Connie cries as she keeps the mass at bay with another wide slash.

 

  Though Garnet’s form remains light and uncertain, her two weapons; her gauntlets, and the arms attached to them move to grapple the mass embracing her, and forcing it back with a redetermined blow. The masses’s eyes reform; only to catch their final sight before being poofed; the sight of Garnet’s gauntlets, blown up to ludicrous size, smashing into the horde and crushing the forms all in the horde.

 

  Smoke is kicked up, enough to send Connie into a coughing fit, though it isn’t her lungs that Connie’s concerned about. Rushing towards a reformed Garnet, she only finds uncertainty in her eyes, her visor now in the void.

 

  When the smoke and dust settles; Connie takes a number check on all the Crystal Gems; Pearl grappling the wall corner, and Peridot atop Amethyst’s body.

 

  “Uh… Peridot? Get off of me.”

 

  “Right! Right!” Peridot scrambles off of Amethyst’s form, lightly flushing. “I was just panicked, that was all.”

 

  Amethyst takes a moment to crinkle out her neck. “Right.” She grins at Peridot. “Thanks dude.” Peridot grins in return, before the Amethyst rejoins the others. “Uh...What the hell was that!?”

 

  “So _this_ is what Homeworld thinks of fusion!” Garnet speaks.

 

  “We couldn't have known they would do this…” Garnet says back.

 

  _“This_ is where they've been. All the ones we couldn't find. They've been here the whole time!” Garnet realizes.

 

  “Rose couldn't have known.” Garnet reassures.

 

  “This is punishment for the rebellion!” Garnet fumes.

 

 _“It's not our fault!_ ” Garnet sobs.

 

  Connie tries, approaching her. “Is that… Ruby and Sapphire?”  
  
  Garnet realizes Connie, and by extension, everyone’s still here, with all eyes concerned for her, even Peridot.

 

  “Are you okay?” Connie tries.

 

oOoOoOo

 

**Steven (10/18)**

Hey! You mind if I come over tmrw?

 

**Steven (10/18)**

Connie?

 

**Steven (10/19)**

Are you busy with Gem Stuff rn?

 

oOoOoOo

 

  Matters settle down at the temple for quite some time after; the Crystal Gems say they’ll look into the gem shards, but none of them have the energy for that at the moment; it’s one too many matters on their plate, with Homeworld breathing down their backs already.

 

  Garnet, over the objection of Pearl, declared an ‘easy day,’ after Pearl had slammed her fists straight into an apple pie she had been preparing; the trigger this time being Amethyst’s presence. With tensions running high in the temple, the ‘easy day’ had only become official for Amethyst; her always being off somewhere and dragging Peridot off wherever she could for the past few days since the Kindergarten. Though this time around, Peridot was sitting huddled in the couch, watching another episode of Camp Pining Hearts, it was remarkable how quickly she had gotten engrossed in the show.

 

  Pearl had disappeared off to who knew where as well alongside Garnet, leaving Peridot and Connie as the only inhabitants of the Beach House at the moment.

 

  Training with Pearl had been canceled today because of the aforementioned, and she was completely burned out of all the games available on her Mist account, so she decided she might as well make herself useful and do her weekly laundry.

 

  While Connie scrounges her loft for whatever clothes she might find, the warp pad comes to life and Garnet exits from the stream; Peridot jumps and Connie stumbles off her bed and straight into the laundry basket.

 

  “Garnet!” Peridot’s attention snaps away from the television.

 

  “Peridot.” Garnet adjusts her visor, before leaving for the door.

 

  “Wait. I wished to speak with you.”

 

  “About?”

 

  “The Kindergarten. And what happened.”

 

  Garnet nods her head, but is almost hesitant to join her. Nevertheless, she does, and takes a seat next to Peridot.

 

  “When I first realized you were a perma-fusion,” Peridot begins unsteadily, “I didn’t understand what to make of you. I thought you were just two clods… mashed together to make one clod. And that there was nothing more to it than that. A misused battle tactic. An experiment gone awry. A rebellion taken too far.” Peridot stops, trying to see if she’s digging herself a hole with Garnet, as usual, no discernable expression. “But what I saw in there… I can’t stop thinking about it. Seeing those… gems, forcibly mashed together as they were! Two clods mashed together to make one clod, just like I said about you!” She enunciates her point with a pointer.

 

  “I couldn’t understand why I felt what I felt, and I tried to draw connections. Illustrate how I felt. It was… sick, and horrifying…”

 

  Garnet’s right hand takes hold of her left.

 

  Peridot keeps peeking over at Garnet, trying to get any sense of what she’s feeling, but it eventually falls on her that her words are still hanging in the air and that she needs to complete her thought. “What Homeworld did to these gems… I can only come to the conclusion that it was ethically and morally wrong. You… weren’t them. Aren’t them, in that I can talk to you, and that I can’t comprehend anything you are! But those… shard fusions… I understood how they felt, what they were thinking! They were crying for help.”

 

  “In the end, I hoped to dwell on this subject to learn a bit more about you, but I learned more about myself. I suppose that’s all I have to say for now; I’ve made my point. If you wish for me to leave, then-”

 

  “No,” Garnet laughs, “Peridot, I never thought I’d say this, but that was beautiful on your part.”

 

  Peridot looks up at her in confusion. “What was beautiful?”

 

  Garnet chuckles. “What you said. And you. You’re getting better at expressing your feelings Peridot. At getting what you feel, and what you want to feel across.”

 

  Peridot flushes. “I am? But… but I made several wrongful assumptions! I violated your integrity, I sometimes still refer to you in my private thoughs as the ‘fusion abomination,’ I-”

 

  “Peridot, you’re still learning.”

 

   Peridot groans. “I’m tired of learning. I want to know already.”

 

  “We’re always learning. That’s what’s so beautiful about life on Earth.” Garnet stands, before motioning for Peridot to follow; she guides her out to the patio, and Connie tries to shuffle her laundry basket out to get a closer look. “Look at it Peridot,” Garnet directs her attention to the approaching tide, “The tides crashing onto the delicate shores, how the setting sun paints the skies a hazelnut orange. How teeming Earth is with life; look at Beach City. Isn’t it remarkable what the humans have accomplished just here?”

 

  “You mean a low-level atomic era civilization?” Peridot looks at her confusedly.

 

  Garnet sighs bemusedly. “No, you’re not getting the whole picture. Well, noone can ever really get the whole picture. What I’m referring to, is the cycle of life and death, of love and birth.”

 

  “And peace and love on the planet Earth.” Peridot mumbles, still starry eyed at the sunset.

 

  Garnet chuckles. “Yes, that’s it. Where’d you get that?”

 

  “The Steven taught it to me the last time he was in our facility.”

 

  Garnet begins to grin, before letting out a slight chuckle, getting a skeptical look from Peridot. “You’re having fun here.”

 

  Peridot tries to figure out whether she’s being made fun of or not. “Fun?”

 

  “Yes, fun. You’re enjoying yourself here.”

 

  “I’m not Rose Quartz.” Peridot huffs.

 

  “Well, I most certainly hope not.” Garnet laughs, to which Peridot sighs. “And where did you learn about Rose from?”

 

  Peridot rests her hands on the patio, getting a feel for the woodworking. Everything was making her curious now.

 

  “I know how important Amethyst has become for you. And I know how important you are to her.”

 

  “I’m… important, to her?”

 

  “More than you think.”

 

  Peridot rubs her shoulder in comfort, before a big goofy grin creeps up on her face, making her sputter and laugh. “Really?”

 

  “She talks about you all the time. Just yesterday, she came up to me and asked me if we could expand your quarantine location to encompass the whole town.”

 

  She isn’t sure what to do with that revelation. “Er… excellent. I can be banned from other human recreational facilities.”

 

  Another chuckle from Garnet’s lips. “It’s so you can learn Peridot. You can’t learn everything there is just from Connie’s computer alone.”

 

  Garnet rarely spoke this much in one setting; and it clearly was too much for Peridot, who was pacing in circles, trying to understand what Garnet’s said to her. “You planned all of this out, didn’t you?” She’s quiet at first, but gradually glows louder, “You wanted me to do what Amethyst calls a ‘Rose Quartz.’ Your future vision… you knew all of this from the start, didn’t you.” Peridot’s eyes lack anger, they’re focused elsewhere, on the setting sun.

 

  A brief lull. “I can’t stop you from wanting to escape Peridot. Well, I can physically stop you, but that misses the point entirely.”

 

  “The point being?” Peridot just wants her to get to the point.

 

  Garnet sighs, her visor returning to the fading sun, now switching places to display the heavens above; Homeworld’s star shines brightest in the sky, yet has always felt dim. The tide recedes, blooms, leaving behind a seabed teeming with life.

 

  It’s… peaceful.

 

  “I know about your plan to escape Peridot. How you’re gathering parts in Amethyst’s room to try and craft a starship to escape from us. How you managed to snatch the ship plans Connie gathered from the moon. And how you’ve lost track of time, and are off-track by two weeks right about now.”  


  If Peridot froze any harder, the temple exterior would have a new addition to it’s form.

 

  To that, Garnet leans against the screen door to try and make Peridot more comfortable. “Don’t worry Peridot. I’m not concerned. You’d likely poof yourself due to a faulty afterburner, and we’d end up storing you in a bubble for the rest of eternity as a sad memoir of our brief time together.”

 

  Peridot tries to laugh. Tries, is the key word, and she just lets out a dusty wheeze, to which Garnet offers her a reassuring hand.

 

  “There’s a chance you could escape. Hindsight is always a kicker. The point being, I want you to make the choice to stay. That’s what life on Earth is about.”

 

  They watch the waves lap against the sands, it’s the first time Connie’s ever seen Peridot so… calm.

  

  “I think… I want at least to learn more about Earth.” Peridot is quiet, her voice low, as if lost in the waves, “Before making my ‘decision.’ And ‘choice.’ As much time as we might have left together.”

 

  Garnet smiles, before ruffling Peridot’s hair. “Well don’t worry Peridot. You’ll have plenty of time to learn. The Crystal Gems have a sworn duty to protect Earth, and anything that lives on it. And that includes, clods like you.”

 

  “That’s my word…”

 

  For a moment, Connie couldn’t stand to keep looking at the two of them together, because she realized how perfect of an image it was. How perfect it all was, because she realized. She wanted Peridot to stay. Everyone wanted Peridot to stay.

 

  And to think that one day, that might not be the case...

 

  “A-ha!” Peridot brightens, bringing Connie back from her spiral,“I just made a major breakthrough! I think I understand you better now Garnet!”

 

  Garnet crosses her arms, inviting Peridot to share. “Oh?”

 

  “You’re like Percy, and Pierre!”

 

  Garnet cracks a smile, while Peridot stands in triumph. “I’d suppose that’s one way to put it. Peridot. If you really want to understand me, then I can help you.”

 

  Peridot takes a break from making victory poses to realize she’s confused again. “What do you mean?”

 

  “Let’s fuse.”

 

  Peridot scrambles to regain any sort of composure, only to stumble downwards and nearly falling off the patio. “OH MY STARS!”

 

  Garnet tries to conceal her smile at Peridot’s expense, extending a hand downward. “I get it—you're not ready, that's fair. Another time then.”

 

  “No!” Peridot takes her hand, lifting herself up, “I want to learn! I just, need a moment!”

 

  Garnet laughs, mumbling something indiscernible on Connie’s end that makes Peridot laugh. She wonders whether it’s time to leave on her part, until Garnet’s eye turns to her hiding spot, and she freezes.

 

“Maybe Connie can help us. Right Connie!?” Garnet calls out, making her spring up from the laundry basket, only to fall an entire loft downwards, cushioned by the mass of garments surrounding her.

 

  “Wait, what?” Connie hears Peridot murmur, as she scrambles to stand to get up and join them.

 

  This was nice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 28 pages in google docs single-spaced. I hate everything. I got a serious headache trying to proofread this, so I hope it turns out well. Do message me if something makes no sense in the text. Originally planning this as a Steven chapter, ended up mashing together several planned chapters into one.
> 
> i’ll update faster when someone takes me away from the beach and puts me at my computer
> 
> my reaction to reunited (spoilers for reunited, btw): OMG LAPIS YOU’RE DOING GREAT HUN KEEP IT UP
> 
> *ahem*
> 
> If anyone has any problems about me depicting ships… deal with it? I’m a multishipper, and I just wrote 28 pages of this schlock for a buildup i’ll find a way to whiff somehow. 
> 
> next chapter up… fuck.
> 
> it’s rose’s scabbard


	19. Rose's Scabbard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connie joins Pearl in a special mission to a place that belonged to Rose Quartz

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter i ruin everything
> 
> no joke
> 
> everything is ruined
> 
> CW: Major Character Death. Sort of, and not really. Skip below for a summary.

  


  “This was a site of a historic battle!” Pearl as usual, is absolutely radiant whenever she has the opportunity to teach Connie more on Gemkind, this case being the Strawberry Battlefield. “Every weapon here was left by a Gem over 5,000 years ago. I don't like to disturb it, but Garnet said we can't just leave these lying around.”

 

  Today’s mission was weapons retrieval from the Strawberry Battlefield. Connie had suspected the mission’s purpose being another from the topic of Homeworld, but she hadn’t said anything. Tagging along for this expedition was Peridot and Lion; Pearl’s gem could only accept objects up to a certain size, so they needed the extra manual labor for whatever exceeded Pearl’s capacity.

 

  Connie makes herself busy while listening to Pearl by watching over Lion until she jolts; looking over her shoulder, the source turns out to be Amethyst, flicking her. “Amethyst!” Connie grumbles.

 

  “What? Thought I was a butterfly?” Amethyst guffaws, as she changes her form to mock her.

 

  Connie blows a raspberry at her. “Hopefully, I’ll be able to go full bubble if they ever come back…” Connie grumbles, before realizing she might just end up trapping herself with them if she does this, and grimaces.

 

  “So… why do we need these weapons?” Peridot rejoins them from a nearby strawberry bush, freshly picked strawberries in hand.

 

  Peridot’s question is answered when Garnet lifts one of the titan-sized axes out of it’s resting place, and resting it on her shoulder with ease. “Never know when you might need one of these.”

 

  Connie scrunches her nose when an oncoming breeze tickles her nose, an extraordinarily rich scent of tart strawberries, with a thick wave of pollen mixed in for good measure. She stifles a sneeze, and waves off a concerned Pearl, tissue in hand.

 

  “All this life here…” Connie wipes at her nose, “I’ve tried searching for anything else like this online, but none of them compare to this…” She scrunches up her nose when another breeze comes along. “Is all of this because… gems were shattered here?”

 

  Pearl rests a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Very good Connie. Every gem shattered here released her _potential_ into the environment, which was already teeming with life before war touched it. It also explains why we can’t restore the Kindergarten; we would need an environmental cycle to inject the _potential_ into in the first place.”

 

  Peridot drops one of her strawberries. “So… would picking this food be… unethical?” She stares at her bounty uneasily.

 

  Pearl laughs, comforting her. “I wouldn’t worry about it Peridot. All human food on Earth is part of the cycle of life and death; when you think about it, humans end up consuming and expelling the energy they take from their own, due to their primitive burial methods. It’s all disgusting and repulsive, no matter how you look at it!”  


  Having listened to the entirety of Pearl’s tirade, Peridot lets the rest of her strawberries fall, grumbling something about environmental cycles and how disgusting they were under her breath.

 

  Connie returns her gazer to the ancient battlefield around her, scattered with weapons wielded by those who lived millennia before her; she inspects a broken axe handle, it’s lavender engraving intact. Carved into hilt, the welder's initials. _Nira._ Once a proud Crystal Gem of Rose’s near invincible army. She was now at best, a malformed abomination, damage near irreparable on the part of the Diamonds.

 

  At worst, Nira now fed the strawberries around her.

 

  “How horrible was it?” Connie asks.

 

  “Countless gems were broken here.” Garnet admits, her visage unreadable as usual. “It was a maelstrom of destruction and death-”

 

 “But we won!” Pearl steps in to block Garnet out, “Your mother led us to glorious victory! The odds were against us, and our hearts were uncertain. But we chose to fight alongside Rose, and here we made our stand against our Homeworld!” Pearl glows, gushing at the skies above her.

 

  Amethyst looks only mildly impressed. “Wish I could have been there.”

 

  Peridot sighs. “I have no appetite for matters of combat. It’s not what I was made for.”

 

  Garnet is unreadable, though she offers Amethyst an indecipherable look.

 

  And Lion… well, Lion wasn’t here.

 

  “Lion?” Connie turns around to look for him. “Where did he go?”

 

  “Not too far.” Amethyst gestures behind at his form, making way towards her; they had left him behind to catch up on accident, wherever he had gotten himself lost, bringing with him some sort of weapon-

 

  Pearl gasps. “That’s the scabbard for Rose’s sword!” Pearl rushes over to him, yanking the scabbard from his mouth, a gesture for which she receives a tense breath from Lion. “Gimme! Gimme! Shoo!”

 

  Lion defaults to his _indifferent_ look, before taking his leave, leaving Pearl with the physical scabbard to Rose’s projectable blade, a discrepancy Connie had quickly picked up.

 

  “Mom’s sword had a scabbard?” Connie asks.

 

  “That’s right! Both your mother’s sword and scabbard were forged by Bismuth… an old friend,” Pearl corrects, “for her to lead the rebellion with!”

 

  “But if I can project mom’s sword, then what happened to the original?”

 

  “I’m… not sure exactly.” Pearl falters. “Perhaps it’s lost elsewhere in the battlefield. Maybe Lion can make himself useful and-” Looking over to Lion’s form, Lion confirms his uninterest in the matter by falling asleep. Pearl sighs. “Never mind.”

 

  Connie rolls up her shirt to inspect her navel. “What weapon did mom originally use?”

 

  “A… shield.” Pearl finally takes notice of the contradiction of logic alongside Connie. “But if Rose’s weapon was a shield then…” Pearl frowns, before joining Connie in inspecting her gemstone.

 

  Noticing Connie’s unease on the matter, Garnet offers a comforting hand, nearly letting the titan-sized axe on her back fall. “I wouldn’t worry about it Connie. What this means, is that you forge your own destiny. And that you aren’t just someone with your mother’s gemstone; you’re _you_.”

 

  Peridot crosses her arms. “That’s an obvious statement.”

 

oOoOoOo

 

  Each gem armed with a weapon sized unsuitably for Pearl’s gem in hand _(save for Peridot, who had recovered the strawberries,)_ the Crystal Gems warp back into the Beach House, their expedition triumphant. Peridot in tow, she stumbles to the kitchen table, and chucks them at the fruit platter center stage, scattering the red fruits everywhere.

 

  “This is great!” Amethyst glows at her arsenal in hand. “My room’s been needing another pile!”

 

  “One of you help me with this axe.” Garnet grunts to Amethyst, then Peridot.  


  Peridot shrugs. “What am I supposed to do?” Peridot exaggerates her stubby features, “Poof myself?”

 

  “Just come over here.” Garnet orders, to which Peridot follows; the trio try to guide the titan-sized axe into Amethyst’s room, and end up recreating nearly every couch moving scene in popular television since it’s inception.

 

   _“Turn it clockwise!” Amethyst orders. “No, your other clockwise!”_

 

_“What is… clockwise?” Peridot asks._

 

  Pearl’s been handling the scabbard with loving care ever since it’s retrieval; she looks more delicate than ever before, and so much more… emotional. Vulnerable. Nostalgic, yet… blissful. “Oh…” Pearl’s fingers ghost over the insignia engraved into it’s form, “It’s been ages.”

 

   _“And if I let go, this door is gonna crush me!” Amethyst calls out._

 

  Connie stares at the scabbard, trying to imagine what her mother was like. When the scabbard proves to be inadequate, she turns to her mother’s portrait. Then Pearl; for whatever reason the topic of Rose always drove Pearl into some sort of intimacy which she couldn’t share with anyone.

 

  “Connie?” Pearl looks over at her with concern; she realizes she’s been staring. “Is everything alright?”

 

  “Mmm…” She’s not sure what to say; intimate questions and being sensitive to how others might perceive them has never been her forte. “What was mom like?” She asks anyway.

 

_“I think I understand!” Peridot responds. “You just need to let go of the blade! Once you’ve let go, I’ll block the door, with my body!”_

 

  Pearl takes a moment to consider the question at hand, before blushing. “She was...courageous, and brilliant... and beautiful…” Her fingers feel against the scabbard’s material with every word.

 

  Connie scrutinizes the portrait of Rose again… she feels distant. She’s always felt distant though, even moreso for a parental figure who she never got to meet. “I don’t look like her, do I?” She lowly asks Pearl.

 

_“Now lishten to mfe verfy closhely you two.” Peridot’s voice is muffled. “Don’t reactivate the door. With all of your might, lift up thish handlle, and shove against this clodding door. “Ifs that, perffectly clear?”_

 

_“Understood.” Garnet approaches._

 

  Pearl frowns, before offering a comforting hand. “That doesn’t matter now, does it?”

 

  Her gaze meets Pearl and for a second, she remembers Pearl, shaking her and screaming at her and crying at her for Rose to come back. How empty she looked. How… angry, she looked.

 

  “Do you think I’ll ever be able to be like her?”

 

  Pearl is lost in her own little world, but for a moment, Connie can catch a glimpse at what her mother was like, for Pearl at the very least. For a moment, it was if Pearl was tearing up. But she takes a knee alongside Connie, before sighing in some sort of remorse. What she was remorseful for, was Connie’s guess.

 

_“Excellent! I’ve just been freed!” Peridot celebrates._

 

_“Put… the handle back!” Amethyst and Garnet, yell at her, smushed together._

 

  They stay like this for some time, not bothering to help the trio behind them with their skit, until the three gems behind them exit, having ‘successfully’ brought the titan-axe into Amethyst’s room. Now alone, Pearl gets Connie’s attention again with a tap on her shoulder.

 

  “Can you keep a secret?” Pearl whispers, grabbing Connie’s attention.

 

  “A secret?” Connie whispers back.

 

  “Rose had a place that she kept hidden from all but me, but you have her gem. That place is yours now, and I can show it to you!”

 

  Connie’s eyes go starry. “What place?”

 

  Pearl glows at her mutual excitement, “It’s a surprise!”

 

oOoOoOo

 

_“I was your mother's sole confidant— for the words she could share with no one else, I was there to listen.”_

 

   _“That’s the burden of leadership isn’t it? Having to keep secrets you know the people you’re trying to protect aren’t ready for.”_

 

_“Exactly! Your mother tried to stay as transparent as she could, but in the midst of war, even she had secrets she knew that she had to keep hidden. Hidden from everyone, except me!”_

 

oOoOoOo

 

  Three hours and twenty-seven minutes after their departure, on point to Pearl’s estimated time necessary to complete the journey, they had arrived. Coming from the hinterlands of Rose’s fountain, followed by a 90 degree vertical climb, Connie had forgotten just how physically capable Pearl was in her lithe form. Though she was no Garnet, the climb had failed to faze Pearl’s enthusiasm at the very least.

 

  Despite it all, Connie can’t shake the feeling of _deja vu_ that resounds from within the cavern. Infested with stalagmites, with sterile, near-untouched water that lacks any sign of organic life, it’s only when they reach the central chamber, is when Connie realizes that _deja vu_ is because it’s only been several months since her visit here with Steven.

 

  Oh stars, this could be awkward.

 

  “Welcome, to Rose’s Secret Army!” Pearl beams, turning to her for her reaction; it’s clear she’s been anticipating her reaction for quite some time now.

 

  Oh stars, this was awkward.

 

  “I’ve been here before.” Connie reluctantly admits.

 

  Pearl’s elatedness crashes to a standstill. “Wha— ? You must be thinking of someplace else, I'm the only other Crystal Gem that's witnessed the Armory's magnificence before now.”

 

  Connie shakes her head. “It was a few months ago. Lion took me and Steven here while I was trying to use him as transport to the movies.”

 

  Pearl sputters in disbelief. “The Lion!?”  


  Connie nods, before making her way up, gesturing for Pearl to follow. She makes her way to the center stage in total familiarity, summoning the center podium with ease.

 

  “Connie, be careful! You don’t know how to operate-”

 

  Contrary to Pearl’s words, Connie gets to work operating the central podium, leaving Pearl behind her to gawk in horror. “It’s a strange operating mechanism probably because of my hybrid status, so I’ll need to manipulate my body into some… strange poses.” Connie explains, before jabbing her right cheek, summoning a motley of axes.

 

  “The Axes of Ages?” Pearl mutters.

 

  Connie jabs her left side, summoning forth some sort of idol, with ball-and-chains hanging from the arms. “Huh. Didn’t see that one before.”

 

  “The Heretic’s Anguish!” Pearl gasps.

 

  A jab into her chest reveals a trio of Laser Light Cannons.

 

  “The Quartizine Trio!” Pearl grates.

 

  A final pinching of her nose brings forth a plethora of armor stands, each seemingly inspired _(or inspiring, more likely)_ by historical eras, an observation which Connie makes comment on.

 

  “The Armor of the Fallen!” Pearl glares viscerally, more frustrated at her since…

 

  “Pearl?”

 

  “Where is your mother’s sword!?” Pearl grasps at her hair. “Her original sword! You know what it looks like, help me!” Pearl stomps, illustrating her demand with a holographic projection of Rose from her gem; sword and… eerily recognizable shield in hand.

 

  “I’m not sure, I didn’t see it!” Connie tries, putting her body into several more strange poses and sending the operating mechanism into a cycle, throwing weapons out left and right. Pearl sighs, and Connie looks at her with concern, until something in Pearl’s projection catches her eye; the shield of Rose.

 

  “Wait.” Connie realizes. “I know that shield.”

 

  Pearl gawks at her in defeat. “Huh?”

 

oOoOoOo

 

  “Lion, your shield, if you will?” Connie snaps her fingers, Lion Licker in hand. Lion bows his head in obedience, and projects from his mane a spiraled pink shield, engraved with thorns and a rose insignia in the center.

 

  Their audience, all three Crystal Gems and Peridot, watch in concern. “That’s… Rose’s shield.” Pearl points out. “How did it get in there… and why is it… physical now?”

 

  Connie shrugs her shoulders. “I thought you would know.”

 

  “But…” Pearl points a shaking finger at Lion, “how?” She weaves her fingers through Lion’s mane with desperation, only to receive a hostile growl from Lion.

 

  Connie looks at Pearl with concern, a gesture that goes unnoticed. “I thought you guys would know.”

 

  “Does Lion have something to do with Rose?” Pearl tries to make sense of it all.

 

  “Oh...” Amethyst starts, “That’s why he’s pink…”

 

  Garnet steps up, though keeping a distance from Pearl. “It’s a little obvious.”

 

  “But Rose didn’t have a Lion.” Pearl replies back.

 

  “Well, it’s a pretty good explanation as to why Lion can go to the moon and back.” Amethyst starts, receiving a glare from Pearl.

 

  “No, Rose didn't have a lion, because if Rose had a lion I would have known about it!” Pearl spits back at her, cheeks flushing.

 

  Garnet steps toward her, causing Pearl to stagger back. “Rose kept many things secret, even from us.”

 

  “But not from me!” Pearl tears up, “I was the one she told everything!”

 

  “Yo, you’re not the only one who misses her!” Amethyst fires back, Peridot awkwardly watching from behind her.

 

  “ **You,** can't understand how I feel, none of you had what we had!”

 

  “Pearl…” Connie tries in concern. “Is everything okay?”

 

  “What, are you still doing here!?” Pearl grates, and Connie isn’t sure if she’s crying or trembling. “Why, do you know all of this, YOU’VE NEVER EVEN MET HER!” She smashes her fist into the side of the house; the entire structure shakes, slammed with the magnitude of Pearl’s emotions. An unsteady creaking disturbs the uneasy silence, the culprit being Rose’s portrait, now in free-fall.

 

  Everyone watches on helplessly, as Pearl makes no effort to recover the portrait-

 Garnet catches it just in time, returning the center attention onto Pearl. Pearl scans the room. Amethyst’s glare is unavoidable, Peridot is visibly concerned, and Connie can tell she’s being completely blocked out. Pearl, backed into a corner, dashes towards the warp pad, scabbard in hand. The warp pad activates, leaving everyone behind and Amethyst’s words without their intended target.

 

   _“Where is she!? Where is Rose!?”_

 

“Should I go after her?” Connie asks, still staring at the warp pad where Pearl had left them.

 

  Amethyst’s attention returns to her, briefly concerned, before returning to general irritation. “Why should you. She’s always like this.” She mutters to herself, before kicking the front door outwards, and taking her leave.

 

  Peridot approaches the remaining two uneasily. “What… just happened?”

 

  Connie still hasn’t broken her gaze on the warp pad.

 

   _This is wrong_

 

  “Who cares,” Amethyst seethes from outside, “She’s ALWAYS like this.” Amethyst takes off, leaving Peridot behind.

 

**_You are wrong_ **

 

“I need to find Pearl.” Connie mutters to herself, though loud enough for Garnet to hear. Garnet doesn’t answer. “Lion.” She turns to him. “Can you help me follow Pearl?”

 

_She can’t let this happen again._

 

Lion growls; she’s gotten better at determining which growls mean ‘yes,’ and which growls mean ‘no.’

 

Connie nods, before turning to Garnet. “You won’t be following her?”

 

  Garnet lowers her head.

 

  Connie turns away from her, returning to Lion. She holds her hands up before mounting his form; he nods, signalling that he’s granted her permission to do so. Straddling his back, she taps his sides to signal his departure; that Lion is already well trained in serious matters, not requiring a harness of any kind makes more since he may have been Rose’s. Likely was Rose’s, _was_ Rose’s. She’s gotten better at feeling _potential,_ and Lion’s _presence_ matches her own. They shared auras.

 

  No wonder he responded so well to her when they first met; it makes a little bit more sense now.

 

  And maybe she can make more sense out of it all when they find Pearl. Make sense out of the mother she had never met, who she would never meet.

 

  The last thing they hear before they warp to wherever Pearl went, was Garnet, quietly wishing her good luck.

 

oOoOoOo

 

  Night is gentle on the Strawberry Battlefield, the lives of what may have been millions of Gems lay in permanent slumber. The peace is broken by the dimensional fabrics of physics being ripped open by Lion’s warp portal, signalling Lion and Connie’s entrance. Sure enough, they find Pearl amidst the overgrowth, cradling what remains of Rose’s existence.

 

  “Pearl!?” Connie desperately calls out to her.

 

  Pearl hears her, but makes no effort to receive her, instead dashing for any direction but Connie’s.

 

  “Leave me alone!”

 

  Lion knows what to do; he gives chase, summoning another warp portal that closes the distance between them and Pearl in an instant. But it’s barely a race; Lion, although fast and able to wield magic, at the end of the day was still an organic body; Pearl’s body, though not made for fighting, has few of the limits Lion is transposed in, permitting her to outpace the two of them.

 

  “Pearl, please!” Connie tries to reach out.

 

  Pearl’s sizable gap between her and Lion is cut short by a cliff’s edge; Pearl avoids the drop, and begins leaping onto the floating islands that permit her ascent onwards, away from the two of them.

 

  “Get that thing away from me!” Pearl turns around once Lion makes it to the edge, before resuming her ascent.

 

  Connie pulls on Lion’s mane, and descends from her mount; she waves him off, and he groans lazily, before preparing to platform. The first island she stumbles and uses all fours to grab onto, the second island she stumbles, and on the third island, her stance is shaky. “Pearl!?” Connie tries after. “I’ve left Lion back there, we can talk alone now!”

 

  The jumps require more and more height with each success, but it’s nothing her reflexes aren’t able to handle, now she’s acclimated to the whole ordeal. Nevertheless, the exercise is starting to wear on her. “Are we going to meet at the top!?”

 

  She’s using a bouncing island as a sort of a jump boost, when she hears Pearl, having made it to the final island; she has nowhere else to go now, despite the island’s size. Nevertheless, Pearl tells her off again.

 

  “Go, away!”

 

   _“Why are you here?”_

 

  “Pearl!” She tries again. “I don’t know what I did wrong,” _(your entire existence) “_ I need to know! Please, just tell me!”

 

  When Pearl doesn’t bother to look back at her, she decides to assess the final jump; farther than any long jump she’s attempted before, she doesn’t have much space to build momentum, but that doesn’t mean she won’t try.

 

 Using what little space she has to build up speed, she tries for the air,

 

  And for a second, it lifts her, guides her towards Pearl.

  
  


  Pearl turns around.

  
  
  


  Connie had never been good at reading emotions.

 

  But even she can understand that locked in Pearl’s gaze, were three questions.

 

  1. Why were you born?
  2. Why do you exist?
  3. Who are you?



 

  1. You don’t know.
  2. It’s all your fault.
  3. ****You’re not the spawn of Rose Quartz.****



 

 

  The universe shifts, readjusts.

 

   _“Connie… your nose is bleeding.”_

  


Her momentum crashes.

  


  She falls to the earth below, desperately clawing at the vines that gore into her arms and cut her raw. Her cries, no for anything that might save her; she knew she was dead. The wretched cry of Pearl calling after her. Tears that burn, even on Connie’s end, as Pearl tries for her; she’s too far away to make a difference. Pearl’s sobs are heard by none save for her in the lonely depths of the Strawberry Battlefield. She wonders who they’re for.

 

_“Can’t you see!?” Pearl wails as Amethyst grips her shoulders. “This thing is not Rose!”_

 

  She falls to the earth below, her body joining the millions of gems ground up, crushed up, eroded by time, scattered across the fertile Earth;

  


  Connie had always wondered (and feared) what it would feel like to actually die.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


  It really hurts.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_"I imagine you view this as vindication of your theory."_

_"I take no joy in her failure."_

_"One must give her an "A" for effort…"_

_"But an "F" on results."_

_"You give her no credit for good intention?"_

_"The Universe does not grade on a curve. It's strictly pass/fail."_

_"Surely it’s better to have died trying."_

_"Better trying not to die."_

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_ENTER ROSE AND PEARL._

  


**Rose:** _“Pearl…”_

 

 **Pearl:** “Yes?”

 

 **Rose:** _“I’m going to stay and fight for this planet. You don’t have to do this with me.”_

 

 **Pearl:** “But I want to!”

 

 **Rose:** _“I know you do. Please, please understand if we lose, we’ll be killed, and if we win, we can never go home.”_

 

 **Pearl:** But why would I ever want to go home, if you're here?

 

 **Rose:** _My Pearl…You're wonderful…_

 

_(Pearl grasps Rose's hand)_

  
  


_END SCENE_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: Connie’s dead. Well, not really, she’s coming back next chapter. But for now, she’s brain-dead.
> 
> Remember when I said I was going to ruin everything above? Welp, time to make this AU more complicated in ways, that won’t fully make sense until much, much later. An entire section of this chapter is ripped from another work, not a fanfic, but actual art. If you can recognize it, good on you! You can have a much greater idea of where this all is sorta going! If not, don’t worry. Everything will be (poorly) explained…. A year later. Probably more.
> 
> I do hope the overall reaction to this isn’t unsub/unfavorite, and at the very least, it’s interesting. 
> 
> Next up: Message Received.


	20. Connie the Crystal Gem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pearl goes missing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter i get to find out whether i still have an audience or not lol

_“The patient appears to have some sort of… gemstone, embedded in her navel. We haven’t been able to ascertain what it is, only that it’s there._

 

_More remarkable than her survival, given the condition she was in when she was first admitted, is the pace of her recovery. Broken cartilage is regrowing itself right in front of our eyes, and most of her bodily trauma has recovered overnight. Her front lobal hematoma’s… vanished overnight. It’s completely gone._

 

_Even more interesting, is the recovery of her right arm. It was previously an exception to the unprecedented regrowth mentioned earlier because it was completely shattered upon discovery, but X-rays show that there’s some sort of… growth, where her original cartilage used to be._

 

_It’s not bone m’am. All test results show that it’s the exact same material as the gemstone embedded in her navel._

 

_Yes, that’s right. She’s growing rocks in her arm to replace her shattered right humerus, radius, and ulna._

 

_No bodily rejection on either the gemstone, or the replacement left arm._

 

_No, we haven’t identified what time of gemstone yet. We’ve been discussing whether or not to bring a jeweler in to identify-_

 

_...Yes, I’ll run further tests immediately. And no, I haven’t alerted anyone else not directly involved in her care to the results of her situation._

 

_Yes. Understood m’am. When will you be back from your leave?_

 

   _...Yes, Dr. Maheswaran.”_

 

oOoOoOo

  Throbbing, pounding, splitting pain. Her skull feels split up the middle, and her eyes feel as if they’re about to just pop like freshly picked cherries. She’s covered by unfamiliar garments and sheets, and the air around her is stark freezing and sterile. Upon inhaling her second breath of air while conscious, she realizes she has a breathing tube plugged into her nostrils.

 

  “Connie.” A voice whispers. “Don’t strain yourself.” She recognizes that voice.

 

  “Garnet?” Connie croaks, her throat sore. Her ears recognize a beeping; a heartbeat monitor. A… hospital?

 

  “You’re healing, thanks to your gem.” Garnet whispers, hint of relief in her voice. “Your organic compartments are struggling to catch up to how fast your gem component is recovering.” She clasps her hand gently, “Thank goodness.”

 

_“Do humans really need all of this equipment to survive an injury of any sort?” Connie hears Peridot talking to someone out back._

 

_“Well, given her condition-” An unrecognizable voice, male._

 

_“Humans are so fragile. And squishy.” She can hear Peridot shuddering._

 

_“I…”_

 

  White curtains are drawn over the only window in her hospital room; Amethyst, currently napping the day off, occupies all three guest seats available, having shapeshifted to occupy more than one. Connie tries looking around and strains her eyes; her vision goes into a daze, and before long, a ringing in her head takes precedence over all else.

 

  Despite it all, she makes herself sit up, before her right arm tugs on something weighing it down. She tries to lift herself up again, but it’s as if an anvil is weighing it down, and she wonders whether she’s being restrained, or whether the healing process is taking longer for it, or-

 

  “Don’t move your right arm.” Garnet orders, before slipping her fingers under the sheets covering her arm and removing them.

 

  Splotchy, with pink marbling on the raw skin, her previously brown skin is now tinted pink. Little shards of some pink gemstone pierce through the skin, jutting erratically with no composition. Nothing weighs her arm down but her arm herself; the gemstone is instantly recognizable, given it is the same material as the gem in her navel. Her bone has been replaced with Rose Quartz.

 

  She experimentally tries moving her fingers, but finds them to be frozen, immobile, rendered useless by the Rose Quartz taking over her body.

 

  “Why?” Connie whispers.

 

  “The bones under your right arm were almost totally destroyed. Your gem didn’t have much of a base to build off of, so it did it’s best to rebuild your bone from scratch.” Garnet’s done her best to avoid looking at Connie’s new arm, but she fails. “I’m… I’m sorry…” Garnet presses her fingers against her temple, “I…I thought Pearl would protect you!” Garnet screams, standing upwards and slamming her raw fist into the nearest wall, plowing through the cheap material with ease, Garnet seethes , before settling down again.

 

  “That felt good.”

 

  Connie chuckles; it’s strange seeing Garnet in a human environment, and effectively making a mess of it. Then again, none of them good with people, save for Amethyst. They were never meant to be human; not even Connie, thanks to the gem in her navel that had decided so much of her fate even before conception.

 

  “It’s okay.” Connie whispers, before casting her gaze downward. “I thought Pearl would protect me too.”

 

  Amethyst whistles at Garnet, having woken from her slumber from Garnet’s outburst. “Nice G. Should I head back to the temple and start pawning stuff to foot the bill?”

 

  Garnet sighs, readjusting her visor. “Amethyst, be serious.”

 

  Connie takes an unnecessary gulp of air. The air flows through much her throat easy, and the splitting headache is finally fading, though one issue remains of considerable weight on her mind. “Where’s Pearl?” She asks.

 

  “We… couldn’t find her.” Garnet admits, voice low. “We don’t know where she is.”

 

  Connie takes a few moments to register her words. “Pearl’s… gone?” She looks towards Amethyst for reassurance, but finds none; Amethyst refuses to meet her gaze, the outside view all the more attractive at the moment.

 

  Garnet’s fingers apprehend her remaining good arm in comfort. “We’ll find her.”

 

  On cue, a parade of medical personnel dash into their room; all nurses, from the looks of it, meaning the doctor was likely off for now. Peridot follows in tow, apparently having engaged in conversation with whichever one of them caught her attention; one with the most medical equipment on them, with a stethoscope and headlight it seems.

 

  “What just happened!?” A nurse armed with a clipboard demands.

 

  “She’s… she’s awake!” Another of them, slackjawed, observes.

 

  “Already?”

 

  Garnet stands, turning to face them. “Your walls are too fragile. We’ll pay for it.”

 

  Fortunately for her, the medical staff doesn’t seem to be invested in their property damage, swarming Connie with an array of questions and physicals all purported to be for her physical well-being. The problem was, her earlier fatigue had worn off entirely by nos, and save for the Rose Quartz weighing down her arm, she was perfectly fine; a fact she tries to communicate to Garnet, by scrunching her eyes at her.

 

  Garnet adjusts her visor again.

 

  Connie scrunches her eyes twice in quick succession.

 

  Garnet tilts her head.

 

  Connie scrunches her nose.

 

  Garnet purses her lips.

 

  Connie sticks out her tongue.

 

  Garnet clears her throat, before grabbing (literally) the nearest nurse, and raising her voice. “This is Mom Quartz. Connie would like to leave this facility with us, right now.”

 

  The nurse, caught off-guard by Garnet’s declaration, looks unable to process the demand whilst the others ignore her. “What?” She asks, incredulous.

 

  Garnet moves closer to her, calling the size difference between the two of them into play. “I said, we would like to leave right now. All of us, including Connie. Do, you, understand.”

 

  Dumbfounded, the nurse sputters at her, trying to shove her grapple off of him, but meeting Garnet’s immense strength in return. “B-but she isn’t ready!” He protests. “And her miraculous recovery; Doctor Kiris has requested further testing and samples from her body-”

 

  Garnet audibly sighs, using one hand to keep him in place (which he tries to escape from futilely) , and pinching the bridge between her eyes with the other. She turns to Amethyst. “Amethyst?”

 

  Amethyst groans, before standing up from her slouch. “If you’re serious.”

 

  Her form disintegrates into pure light, all medical personnel attending to Connie finally break routine; they gasp at the display of Amethyst losing, reforming shape, as her physical mass is reorganized, builds, triples in size into Purple Puma.

 

  “Further testing!?” She throws three of the nearest personnel into a chokehold, causing the rest of the personnel to tremble in panic, and Peridot to gawk. **“Why on earth could you possibly need further testing!?** **Everything you could ever want is right here, in these muscles!”** She growls, flexing her absurd build with each sentence. **“Feel this body! See this body, magnificently sculpted! Feel how they pulse with life, how beautiful and strong they are!”** With every word, another muscle forms, and the shrieking and hysteria of the room builds. **“Feel them! If you don’t believe me, then they will make you believe!** ** _Feel_** **!”**

 

oOoOoOo

 

  “I can’t believe that actually worked.” Peridot sighs, wheeling out a freshly discharged Connie, granted both a mechanical sling and a wheelchair to help her keep the weight of her arm down. She had tested out of her physicals perfectly fine, having been granted ‘extremely rapid fastpass procession’ _(a procedure Connie figured had been created ad-hoc)._

 

  “Having Amethyst go wild always works.” Garnet comments, with Amethyst, having phased out of Purple Puma, stretching her body, looking incredibly pleased with herself.

 

  “Must we call such excessive attention to ourselves?” Peridot asks.

 

  “That’s what makes it work in the first place dude.” Amethyst reassures her, to which Peridot sinks further.

 

  “How’s your arm?” Garnet asks her, prompting Connie to study the already shredded makeshift bandages that cover her newly minted bone; fragments of Quartz jut through the bandages erratically. Experimentally, she gently presses on one of the shards and feels nothing, save for a mild slicing of her fingertip; the rock feels as solid as the gemstone in her navel.

 

  “Heavy.” She comments, as Amethyst pulls Peridot back from crossing a street to early; horns from angry motorists eagerly sound their displeasure with them.

 

  “You, were clearly never meant to pilot these primitive petroleum-based automobiles, you clods!” Peridot stands her ground.

 

  “Maybe you should watch where you’re going!?”

 

  “Maybe you should pilot your vehicle off the nearest bridge and float down the river, you clod!”

 

  “Okay, this has gone out of hand.” Garnet intervenes, taking Connie’s wheelchair and taking them in a differing direction. Amethyst takes Peridot by the hand, but not before sending a gesture in the motorist’s general direction.

 

  “How about we eat out today?” Garnet suggests, voice tired. “We could all use an off-day right about now.”

 

oOoOoOo

 

  The chocolate pancakes at _Suzy’s Diner_ are well-made for the most part, but in Pearl’s shadow they just can’t compare. Amethyst doesn’t seem to notice, having inhaled ten servings of dishes from the diner  appropriate to a human’s dietary needs in one go. Her gluttonous display invites nearly every table in the establishment to stare at them.

 

  “How is it?” Garnet asks.

 

  “Good.” Connie answers after she finishes chewing; she’s one handed as of now, so she thanks the stars she was born ambidextrous. “A bit burnt, and heavy on the chocolate. And not enough whipped cream.” She sighs.

 

  “I’m glad. This was the best place in Ocean Town.”

 

  “Did it justify having us walk across half the entire clodding town for it?” Peridot groans, playing with the sugar packets.

 

  Connie cuts through another one of her sausage links, a rare treat for her, given Pearl’s dislike of preparing meats.

 

  “Pearl’s… really gone?” Connie looks up at Garnet, who’s attention isn’t on her plate _(a single expresso,)_ but on her.

 

  “What happened?” Garnet asks, an eerie sight. Garnet never asked questions. “You don’t have to answer if you’re not comfortable.”

 

  Connie sets down her utensilware, before starting. “I tried to chase after her. We… got to a bunch of floating islands, and I tried to catch up to her, but couldn’t. When I tried for the last island, I… didn’t make it.”

 

  “Pearl didn’t try to help?” Garnet asks. When Connie shakes her head, she takes a single shot of her expresso, then sets the cup down harshly.

 

  “I don’t remember anything else.” She admits. Everything else was a **black hole** from there on out. Save for her dream, between Rose and Pearl, but she isn’t sure if it was some magic-empathy power she had, or if it was a hallucination on her part. “You don’t know where Pearl is?” Connie asks instead.

 

   Garnet nods, shakily adjusting her visor. “We searched all around the Strawberry Battlefield for her. We didn’t find her.”

 

  “Oh…” Connie sighs at her pancakes, not nearly as appetizing as Pearl’s. “She’ll… she’ll be back, right?” When Garnet fails to answer, Connie panics. “But… your future vision. You have to know when she’ll be back, Pearl… can’t be gone.”

 

  When Garnet doesn’t answer, it was as if a knife had been plunged into her heart.

 

   **_Why are you here_ **

 

Amethyst slams her fist on the table, ripping her from her downward spiral. “It’s not fair! Pearl always puts everyone under all this pressure ‘for the good of the team,’ and now, when Homeworld is breathing down our neck, she ditches. Pearl’s supposed to be the smart one! She’s the one that knows everything, plans out everything! We shouldn’t have to deal with any of her shit! Doesn’t she get that everyone else misses Rose too!?” Amethyst sullens, faltering from her rage, before resting her head on Peridot’s shoulder. “This is so stupid. We shouldn’t have to clean up after her, just because she’s having another episode.”

 

  Peridot slams her fist on the table, sending up a small cloud of sugar. “A-ha! Connie, look! I have determined which of these granules is sodium chloride versus crystalized fructose from pure sight alone!”

 

  A part of her wants to try to say something, but the moment she opens her mouth, her words are sucked back in because she’s not good with this. Fortunately, Garnet breaks the silence.

 

 “I… I understand Amethyst,” Garnet drills her fingers into the dining table, “but Pearl will come… back. She needs… to.”

 

  One of the waitresses flocks over to their table, having taken notice of Amethyst’s outburst. Garnet orders another expresso, increasingly pained through her visor as time passes.

 

  “Garnet?” Connie tries.

 

  “Yeah, but do you really believe that? Didn’t your future vision fizzing ouy get us here in the first place?” Amethyst points out.

 

  “Yes. I understand. Amethyst.” Garnet grunts, grabbing onto the seating.

 

  “Pearl will return.” Garnet breathes.

 

  “How do you know that?” Amethyst asks back.

 

  “I… we don’t know.” Garnet stumbles.

 

  “Calm down.” Garnet says back.

 

  “But Amethyst is right!” Garnet responds.

 

  “You don’t understand, she must.” Garnet answers.

 

  “If you’re not going to listen, then you can just- go!”

 

  With a flash of light, Garnet’s form disintegrates, splitting into two. Two forms are revealed that Connie has never met before, yet has known all her life. To the right, a thick build, with bright scarlet skin and dark burgundy, square shaped hair. To the left, blue skin, long pale blue wavy hair with bangs covering half of her visage, covering her vision.

 

  Ruby and Sapphire.

 

  “Pearl will come back to us in time.” Sapphire crosses her arms.

 

  “That’s not the point!” Ruby fires back, arms flailing about. “She let Connie die Sapphire! She let Connie just fall, and now she’s run away and expects us to clean up her mess!”

 

  “You’re choosing to take it personally.” Sapphire responds, one-note.

 

  “It’s Connie, Sapphire! I thought Connie was supposed to be important to us!”

 

  “Of course she is. You would accuse me of not caring for her?”

 

  Ruby flails her arms around. “Stop, redirecting, what we’re talking about!”

 

  “I’m just choosing to remain focused. The sooner we can regain our composure, the sooner we can move on.”

 

  “Move on? Move on!? How, are we going to move on, if we’re missing, a third, of us!”

 

  “Being upset about it won’t change the matter that Pearl is gone for now Ruby.”

 

  “Oh, so you are upset!?”

 

  “Trust me. I am completely engulfed with rage.” The air around their dining booth chills, and Ruby slumps in her seat, and Sapphire fiddles with her empty cup.

 

  A brief silence fills the booth _(and by extension, the entire diner, whose attention has fallen on them)_ before Amethyst decides to jump in. “Hey… you two.”

 

  Sapphire nods. “Hello Amethyst.” She turns to Connie. “Hello Connie.”

 

  Connie’s utensils fall to the floor; a spike of ice extends from Sapphire’s footing to catch it in time.

 

  “Hey Connie.” Ruby sighs, burned out.

 

  “I had hoped our first meeting would be under more planned circumstances.” Sapphire voices, as Connie reaches down to pick up her utensil. “Unfortunately, that was not the case.”

 

  “Yeah, because of Pearl.” Ruby grumbles.

  “No, because you, are letting your emotions get out of hand.”

 

  Ruby flares back up. “It’s Pearl! Who’s letting her emotions, get out of hand! She has, to run away, and let Connie die, while you are here, pretending like nothing ever happened!”

 

  “And you are here, pretending like Pearl is everything.”

 

  “It is, Sapphire! It is!”

 

  The waitress approaches, expresso in hand. “Expresso?”

 

  Ruby grabs the dish, pouring it onto herself, the burning expresso sent into a boil by ruby’s rage. “Thank! You!”

 

  “As you can see,” Sapphire pokes at Ruby, “We have more pressing matters at hand. Connie.”

 

  Under any other circumstances, Connie would have been sent starry-eyed at meeting Ruby and Sapphire for the first time. Now, she can’t even lean forward because her arm’s pressing into the table.

  

  Having spent the whole time staring and unable to say anything is Peridot. “You’re the two clods that make up Garnet?” She asks.

 

  “In a way, yes.” Sapphire answers.

 

  “We’re so, much more than that.” Ruby replies.

 

  Peridot nods, satisfied with their answers before returning to her sugar and salt.

 

  Sapphire sighs, carefully setting her cup down; she has the mark of nobility, as Pearl once let slip during one of their learning modules. “I’m sorry Connie. I had wanted our first meeting to be under better conditions. Unfortunately, Ruby was unable to see the point of that.”

 

  “It’s okay-”

 

  Ruby glares at Sapphire.”

 

  “Ruby and I just need some time apart. Once she sees that I’m right, she can cool off, then we can reform back into Garnet, and that will be the end of all this silliness.”

 

  “That’s what you think!” Ruby barks, phasing on her gauntlet. “I am an eternal flame baby!” Having made her declaration of separation, Ruby uses uses the gauntlet to smash into the cheap diner table, sending the table and all present plates flying.

 

  Amethyst sighs. “Can you two make up soon? I was gonna finish that.”

 

  “I thought you could only see paths, future possibilities Sapphire.” Connie raises.

 

  “That may be how Garnet sees it, but Garnet and I are not the same. I can see the path of fate as it stretches out the horizon.” Sapphire answers calmly, before the waitress comes with the check in hand.

 

  A beat.

 

  “This… escaped my vision.” Sapphire admits, before picking up the bill, and passing it around.

 

  Amethyst lets out a long whistle. “There’s the cost of the diner table. How are we going to pay for all of this?”

 

  Peridot frowns. “I don’t understand. It’s just a random assortment of numbers and addition.”

 

  “Garnet had all of our money.” Ruby admits. Connie uses her spare hand to scrounge up whatever cash she has in her pockets, and comes up with fifty-two cents.

 

  “Nice.” Amethyst comments. “We’re just a couple hundred short.”

 

  “What… do we do now?” Connie asks.

 

  Sapphire turns to Amethyst, who meets her gaze with a glare. “What!?”

 

  “Amethyst. Help us.”

 

  “What do you mean?” Amethyst shifts defensively, until it all comes to her. “Oh!” Amethyst casts a wicked grin, before her form turns to light.

 

  Before long, the second of two mass panics in Ocean City would commence.

 

oOoOoOo

 

  Returning home is difficult for Connie; though Amethyst shapeshifts into a helicopter with ease, the fact remains that her home isn’t designed with access to disabled persons in mind. The gems get to constructing a rampway to the patio almost immediately, Connie showing signs of pain when she volunteered to climb up the stairs by herself _(her legs were fine after all)._ Ruby had caught her when she had stumbled, her arm keeping her off-balance, and had set her in bed with nothing to do but check on her phone. Sure enough, a pile of unanswered texts from Steven waits for her.

 

**Connie (10/22)**

Gem mission with Pearl! She says it’s somewhere important!

 

**Steven (10/22)**

tell me when you’re through?

 

**Connie (10/22)**

She says it’s supposed to be a secret… I probably shouldn’t have messaged you about this

 

**Steven (10/22)**

Npnp, your secret is safe with me!

 

**Steven (10/23)**

So… any, ‘secret’ details you’d like to share? :v

 

**Steven (10/23)**

i’m prepared to provide you with my Twitch for a couple of days.

 

**Steven (10/24)**

alright, you drive a hard bargain. I’ll also loan you my brawl for a couple of days

And i’ll buy the next round of donuts from lars and sadie

And, i’ll bring some of my guitar oil for Amethyst that she really likes

And i’ll give peridot one of my widget spinners

 

**Steven (10/25)**

You, are a difficult negotiator. I’m taking back all the things i said

Unless you reply in 30 min

Everything must go lol

Connie?

 

**Steven (10/26)**

Connie?

You mind if I headed over sometime next week?

 

**Steven (10/26)**

Connie?

 

**Steven (10/27)**

Are you safe?

 

  She tries to come up with a response, but she fumbles her phone, not used to typing with the same fingers holding her phone.

 

  “What am I going to say to him?” She wonders to herself. _“Hey Steven, I just smashed my arm into a million teeny-tiny pieces and now I have a literal rock for an arm now, how’s everything going for you!?”_

 

  Briefly considering this answer to be the easiest to pull, she deletes the draft from her phone before turning in for the day. Having been idle at the hospital for several days now, the lethargy was rubbing off on her, and it isn’t long before her eyes retire for several hours or so.

 

oOoOoOo

 

  Life at the temple stumbles as it tries to resume it’s usual pace. The disappearance of two of their gems and the introduction of Ruby and Sapphire into their normal dynamic upends everything. Now leaderless, once the objective of constructing access ramps wherever Connie might need them is dealt with _(quite quickly, thanks to Ruby,)_ the remaining gems disband in disorder.   


  Sapphire and Ruby are unable to form Garnet for the time being, though they had come close on completing her physical form on several occasions. Several apologies had been exchanged between the two, only to end with Garnet’s form destabilizing, with accusations of insincerity by one or the other.

 

  Sapphire takes to trying to fill Pearl’s role in the home. Poorly, Connie would add.

 

  “Sapphire, you froze the waffle batter.” Connie shivers, having brought out all available blankets from the closet to insufficiently cover her and her wheelchair. Yesterday, the Beach House was brought to a roiling heat by Ruby’s emotional aura. Today, as if to complement the day before, Sapphire has brought winter with her.

 

  “Inevitable.” Sapphire comments, before climbing her stand to reach the stove top and flicking on the gas lighters. A small flame is produced, before freezing solid, flame and all.

 

  “Is… t-that p-possib-ble?” Connie clatters, shivering.

 

  “The laws of physics cannot bend to the laws of fate. Such is the universe.”

 

“Under different circumstances, I’d be s-super int-trested in what you just said, but I’m j=just going t-to leave b-before I f-freeze to d-death.” Connie exposes her hands to the sheer cold to wheel herself out of Beach House, only to find that Sapphire’s frozen the steel material of her wheelchair as well. “G-great, my wheelc-chair’s f-frozen.”

 

   “Also inevitable.” Sapphire comments as Connie stands up, using her good left arm to lift up the wheelchair, and kicking open the screen door outside, only to be greeted with warm beach weather, and the sight of an early low tide, caused by Ruby seething in place where the tide meets the shore.

 

  Her right shoulder’s gotten better at enduring the pain caused by the weight of her shattered arm, so she figures she can take a walk on foot for a few minutes while her wheelchair suns. The wheelchair is thrown down the access ramp to roll down to the accessway down below _(her wheelchair wasn’t made for the sand, to the gems worked to create a pathway stretching from the fence gate, all the way to the access ramp.)_

 

  “Hey Ruby.” Connie calls to her, currently sunning where the shoreline used to be, having evaporated most of the water around her. Ruby mumbles something incomprehensible from this distance, but waves to her nonetheless. She doesn’t seem to be in a mood for… anything, for that matter, so Connie opts to ignore her for now.

 

  On the other side of the temple shoreline is Peridot, currently staring apprehensively at a bed of seaweed, beached by the low tide. It takes Peridot a while to notice her, but the green gem is strangely upbeat when she does.

 

  “Connie! Connie!”

 

  Connie grants her a weary wave with her good arm, though her right shoulder is getting sore, so she opts to sit down once she’s closed the difference.

 

  “Amethyst has been teaching me recently about this “hollow wean,” that apparently is this “holy day” meant for the consumption of sugary snacks toxic to the human body, and the wearing of appearance modifiers that are meant to provoke fear in human culture. I was wondering if that,” she gestures to the seaweed, “would work as a suitable appearance modifier.”

 

  Connie shakes her head. “It might work, but I’m not sure you’d want to wear that.”

 

  Peridot raises an eyebrow. “Why? Is my current form sufficiently intimidating enough?”

 

  “No, it’s just it really smells.” Connie answers, laying back in the sand and sighing; after the sub-zero temperatures inside the temple, sunning is probably the best feeling she can get.

 

  Peridot goes quiet, leading Connie to conclude that she’s rethinking her costume choice until Peridot enters her vision, wearing the entirety of the bundle of seaweed.

 

  Under different circumstances, the sight of Peridot, stumbling around with seaweed covering her sight might have been somewhat entertaining at Peridot’s expense, but now it only proves to be a somewhat tired sight.

 

  “I’m not sure if you’d be able to preserve that for a day.” Connie suggests, holding her nose. “Ocean floral biology isn’t my forte.”

 

  Peridot sighs, before enthusiastically casting off the seaweed and phase-cleansing her form twelve full times before groaning. “I should have known. Did you want to continue playing our card game?”

 

  Connie scrunches her eyebrows. “What card game?” She asks.

 

  “The one from several days ago?”

 

  It takes several moments for her to remember the game of Sacred Cards the two had started several days ago before… Pearl. “Sure I guess.”

 

  Peridot jumps to action, leaving Connie behind to rush into the Beach House, making it back to her in record time, frozen cards in hand.

  “If I do remember correctly,” Peridot starts, handing over Connie’s frozen deck, “I had a _Silver Sky Dragon_ in attack position, and a _Tormented Obelisk_ in defense position. You had a _Frozen Swordswoman_ in attack position, and an active _Blades of the Ethereal Protector_ with two turns remaining. We also jotted down what trap and spell cards we had out on the playing field in the paper slips sealed in our respective envelopes -here.” Peridot produces two envelopes, handing the one marked with Connie’s name to it’s owner, who opens it, only to find the paper ruined by the sub-zero temperatures.

 

  “Paper’s ruined.” Connie displays her ruined paper to Peridot, who goes quiet, letting Connie lay back down against the sands. The water looked more inviting than it had ever been before, now that going in the water would damage her bandages beyond repair. Gently lapping against the soft sand of Delmarva’s shores, it had almost a hypnotizing effect on the poor girl, who hasn’t gotten much sleep in the past two days they had returned home. _(Thanks to the introduction of extreme temperature cycles back at the Temple.)_

 

  “Did you want to start a new game?” Peridot asks, trying to catch wind of whatever Connie is staring at.

 

  Connie shakes her head. “Guess I’m not in the mood for it right now.” She mumbles, before the waves call her to sleep.

 

oOoOoOo

 

  With Pearl gone, chores at the Temple pile up quickly; Connie and Pearl used to take up the lion’s share of them, but with Pearl gone and Connie decommissioned for the time being, the task of cleaning now fell to hilariously, Ruby.

 

  At least for now, Ruby wasn’t projecting her heat aura onto the house while she was dusting, making her better suited for the job than Sapphire, who had retreated into her chambers for the time being.

 

  “Why does she always act like _I'm_ being ridiculous? Just because _she_ wants to pretend like she doesn't have feelings? Oh yeah! I don't have any feelings…” Ruby grumbles under her breath as she scatters dust around haphazardly, Connie having distanced herself from the dust zone in her loft, watching television.

 

   _“Only a murderer deals in absolutes!”_

 

“That’s an absolute.” Connie states matter-of-factly, as she changes channels.

 

   _“This week, on ANN, tune in tonight for the world’s largest debate. Twenty-eight contenders for the primary, only one victor. Who will come out on top tonight?”_

 

Everytime she watches the news, it’s as if all life in her soul is being sucked out and being converted into profits for the broadcast company.

 

  Opting for the next channel, it proves to be as entertaining as the last, prompting Connie to sigh. She had been lying down for all day now; she hadn’t been this inactive since before Lapis.

 

  Lapis, who was now in Homeworld’s hands.

 

  Lapis, the friend she had failed to protect.

 

  “Connie. Hello.” Peridot swoops in from the side.

 

  She turns to meet her, only to be greeted by the sight of Peridot… apparently twice as high somehow. “Peridot?”

 

  Peridot chuckles to herself. “Since all gems currently active in our facility at the moment are of… limited height, I decided to remedy the issue.” She lifts up her feet, displaying her… makeshift limb enhancers; two paint cans strapped to the bottoms of her soles. Unfortunately, she throws herself off-balance, sending herself crashing into the kitchen, where Ruby is trying to dust.

 

  “GAAH! I JUST DUSTED!”

 

  “Why is there so many dust particles then!?”

 

  “IS, THAT, NOT THE POINT OF DUSTING!?”

 

oOoOoOo

 

  

**Steven (10/28)**

Please be okay.

 

oOoOoOo

  

  With the kitchen… dysfunctional for the time being, Peridot was eager to volunteer to bring Connie somewhere where the food didn’t freeze seconds after it was served. Today, that meant a trip to Fish Stew Pizza.

 

  She distinctly remembers the last time she visited here; the first time she met Steven, so long ago. And she distinctly remembers the pile of texts she still hasn’t given Steven an answer to yet, but she’ll put that aside because warm food is in front of her and she’s been hungry all day.

 

  “How… have you been?” Peridot starts awkwardly.

 

  Connie takes a moment to swallow her bite of Pepperoni. “Uh… good?”

 

  “Great! That’s great!” Peridot frowns. “No, wait. Are you lying!?” She slams her palms on the table, grabbing the attention of everyone else present in the restaurant.

 

  Finished with her first slice, she pulls off two more slices off the served platter; Peridot’s plate remains conspicuously empty. “Uh… what?”

 

  “I mean…” Peridot grumbles something under her breath, gaze falling downward. “I meant to ask you, how are you feeling?”

 

  Connie sips at her Cola, guzzling down the glorified syrup with carbonation; she figures Pearl would kill her if she ever saw her eating this unhealthily. A perk to Pearl being gone she supposes, but she’s just reminded herself Pearl’s gone because of her.

 

  She sighs.

 

  “Tired I suppose. Without Pearl, chores are really boring. Pearl’s usually the one that helps me tidy up. And we were supposed to start our Astronomy modules together this week; without her, half my schedule’s gone.”

 

  Peridot nods. “I see, I see. I am also sad to see Pearl is missing in action somewhat; it was refreshing to have someone of intellectual…” Peridot falters, “equality? Similarity? To converse with and work with every now and then. But I have had time to completely finish season three of Camp Pining Hearts; which I must objectively state is the best season so far. Mainly because Paulette was absent for half the season to deal with some sort of foreign microbe infection, leaving Percy and Pierre to bond closer together!”

 

  Connie listens half-intently, chewing on her pizza crust. Peridot (eventually) takes notice of this, and her gaze falls.

 

  “Uh… I meant, how are you feeling about before?”

 

  Scarfing down her third slice, it takes time for her to respond. “Before?”

 

  “What you were talking about before. I think?”

 

  “Before… oh.” She purses her lips, trying to sort out her emotions. “I don’t know. I just thought Pearl would be around forever, and now she’s gone. I…”

 

   _“Why would I ever want to go home, if you’re here?”_

 

A throbbing pain in her temple gets her to use her ice cold cola as an ice pack. “I just didn’t think something like this would ever happen. Maybe she ran away, maybe she doesn’t want to be around us anymore, maybe she’s been shattered…”

 

  “I don’t know what I’m doing here!” She slams her fist on the table. “Who knows what could have happened to Pearl, who knows what might be happening to her right now while we’re all just wasting time-!”

 

  “Good, good.” Peridot’s gaze falls. “I think.”

 

  Connie sighs. “Peridot, what are you looking at?”

 

  “Directions.” Peridot admits.

 

  “Directions… for what?”

 

  “How to facilitate conversations like this.” Peridot produces a piece of paper, jotted down on it were from the looks of it, instructions from some Tikihow article on how to ask people how they were feeling. Connie stifles a groan.

 

  “Why did you want to take me here? You haven’t even taken a bite.” Connie asks instead, crossing her free hand.

 

  Peridot just looks at her, a bit somewhere else at the moment. “Amethyst took me here several days ago before your hospitalization, and it was very fun. And…” Peridot giggles, “she called me _cute_.”

 

  Connie sighs, resigning herself to one final slice. “Different strokes for different folks. At least, that’s how the saying goes.” She gestures towards the pizza again. “You’re not going to grab a slice?” Peridot shakes her head. “But you brought me here. I thought you said you liked this place.”  
  
  “I do like this place. It’s just that I found the food here incredibly disgusting, and the ‘fries’ next door to be significantly more palatable, and more worth processing through my makeshift digestive system.”

 

  Screaming from the kitchen rocks the rest of the establishment, apparently from the head chef, spouting out threats to the neighboring establishment; Connie takes this as a sign to leave, after leaving the proper tip under their dishes.

 

  It takes them a considerable effort just to enter and leave the establishment; the door is improperly fitted for her wheelchair.

 

  She doesn’t make it three wheels out the door before Peridot tries for her attention again.

 

  “Connie! Connie! I request your attention again.” Peridot clamors.

 

  A weary sigh on Connie’s end, who puts in the effort to turn her wheelchair around. “Yes Peridot?”

 

  In Peridot’s hands is another slip of paper. “Why did the chicken cross the road?”

 

  Connie grants her a look of utter confusion that fails to discourage her. “Eh?”

 

  “The chicken… wanted to get, to the other side!” Peridot guffaws, dropping her joke list and falling to the ground.

 

  Connie sighs, turning her wheelchair in the direction of Beach House. “Peridot, I-”

 

  “What’s a chicken?”

 

  “Peridot, I’m sorry… I guess I’m just not in the mood to try Earth stuff with you right now. Maybe some other time, okay?”

 

  For a brief moment, disappointment flashes on her face, before Peridot nods. “I understand. Did you still want to start a new card game later on?”

 

  A weary smile on Connie’s part. “We’ll talk about it later.”

 

oOoOoOo

 

  Back at Beach House, Amethyst lounges on the patio. Connie tries waving her down, but doesn’t get her attention until she’s reached the access ramp.

 

  “Hey.” Amethyst grants her, also tired.

 

  It’s a slow path up the access ramp, but eventually without any input on Amethyst’s part, she makes it back up the patio. “Hey.”

 

  Ruby and Sapphire’s auras can be felt even out from the patio; though not in intolerable doses. Amethyst is lost staring at something in the distant landscape; though she looks over to her once or twice, in case Connie wants something from her.

 

  “Amethyst, I… can we talk?”

 

  “Huh?” Amethyst looks over, before regaining her bearings. “Oh, sure. ‘Bout what?’

 

  “Amethyst, I don’t know what’s going on.” She admits. “Ruby and Sapphire won’t stop fighting, Peridot’s acting all weird, I… I don’t understand what’s happening anymore.”

 

  Amethyst looks over her, tired. “Hey, don’t worry too much okay? It’s all because of this whole Pearl thing. Garnet just needs Pearl like Pearl needs Garnet, eventually Ruby and Sapphire’ll get back together and cool off so we can fix this entire mess. And Peri… yeah, don’t know about that one. You’ll have to ask her.”

 

  Motioning back towards the Beach House, Connie grabs Amethyst’s hand. “Amethyst, wait-”

 

  When Amethyst turns, she’s more tired than Connie’s ever seen her before. “Listen dude. I’m really tired right now… Pearl being all gone and all is just… I dunno. It’s too much right now. Coming out here was a mistake… Ruby and Sapphire haven’t made up yet, so I’m going to be in my room.”

 

  “I… I see. Is there anything you know I can do for Ruby and Sapphire?”

 

  Amethyst shrugs. “I dunno dude.” Brushing her off coldly, she takes off back into the temple.

 

  The wind stirs at Connie’s hair, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that at the moment, Amethyst didn’t want to be with her right now.

 

   _“It’s all because of this whole Pearl thing.”_

 

  She realizes that was just a nicer way of saying it was all because of _her._

 

  Connie’s phone buzzes again.

  


**Steven (14:58)**

Did I do something wrong?

  


  Another weary sigh escapes from her lips.

  


  The wind rises.

  


* * *

 

 

**_Connie_ **

 

_Everybody told me Gem stuff's dangerous_

_I guess I couldn’t see it until now_

_Pearl always seemed apprehensive_

_And now she’s really gone…._

 

_Because of me._

 

_(Connie’s phone rings again.)_

  


**Steven (14:59)**

I’m sorry if I’m getting all up in your business lately

if I’m texting you too much just tell me.

  


_(Connie sighs)_

 

_What do I do?_

_I don't want this for you..._

 

_Everybody tells me life is precious_

_On the planet Earth, and that means you_

_That means I have to protect you_

_What if somehow you get hurt_

 

_What do I do?_

_I don’t want that for you..._

 

_(Connie looks up at Beach House, where Ruby and Sapphire are still arguing)_

 

_What am I going to tell you?_

_You’re better off not knowing the trouble I'm in,_

_I don't want you to worry about what I've just caused,_

_About where I've just been_

 

_You don't have to be a part of this_

_I know you don’t want to be_

_You don't need this_

_You don't need me…_

 

* * *

 

  
  


oOoOoOo

  
  


**Connie (15:04)**

I’m fine. Gem business. Best not to come here for a couple of days.

 

**Steven (16:21)**

That’s fine! You know when it’ll all be over?

 

**Connie (16:23)**

Don’t know.

  
  


oOoOoOo

 

  A quick run to the nearest goods store lets her get a new backpack; the old one physically incapable of holding her supplies. Two emergency first-aid kits, ten days worth of nonperishable rations, her grappling hook, a flashlight, ten days worth (for her phone) of batteries, a flare gun, a water filter, matches, Esbit stoves, toothpaste, blanks, several pocket knives, five sets of clothes, and her synthetic longbow.

 

  Fully stocked to the teeth, Connie feels at her shattered arm; still good. She’s been getting better at enduring whatever soreness her new arm’s weight causes. As long as she takes small breaks every now and then, she should be able to power through it.

 

  “You’re shaking the house.” Sapphire notifies Ruby, having reignited the simmering flames between them.

 

  “Oh? Hah, _I'm_ kinda surprised you felt anything at all, to be honest!”

 

  “I didn’t need to feel, I saw.”

 

  “Eeeverything is just so… CRYSTAL. CLEAR. TO. YOU. ISN’T. IT.”

  
  
  While Ruby screams and Sapphire ignores her, Connie jumps at the opportunity to slip by before they can follow her, but Sapphire’s ice, infecting entire sections of the kitchen, slips her up. She loses her footing, and slips to the ground below, cutting her stealth show off.

 

  “Connie!” Ruby rushes off to her, making sure she’s okay.

 

  “Connie.” Sapphire comes, looking her up and down, and noticing all of her gear. “Where are you heading off to?”

  

  Standing up, she tries to hide her visage answering her. “I’m going to find Pearl. And I’ll make this all right again.” That’s all she’ll confess to; it’s enough to get Ruby and Sapphire to run after her as she tries to walk past her.

 

  “Connie!?”

 

  The two instinctively block the way to the warp pad. “This is a rash decision. We’ll be more effective if we coordinate our efforts.” Sapphire counters.

 

  “Effective or not,” Connie starts, “I need to do this. It’s my responsibility; and I need to take care of it, like a Crystal Gem.”

 

  “Connie?” Ruby looks at her with worry, “What are you talking about?”

 

  “You’ll need our help-” Sapphire starts, before Connie interrupts her.

 

  “No I don’t. I can’t keep clinging on to the vestiges of my immaturity. With Pearl out of action for the time being, it’s time I got _serious_.”

 

  “I don’t understand… what brings this on?” Sapphire asks, taking her hand before Connie can leave them.

 

  Connie darkens. “It’s me, isn’t it? That’s why you two are fighting, isn’t it?”

 

  “No!” Ruby denies. “Connie, it’s all us.”

 

  “I took Rose away from you. Away from Pearl, away from Amethyst, away from Garnet. That’s why Pearl left, that’s why you two are fighting, so I have to make this right.” She tries to break Sapphire’s hold, her grip holds.

 

  “Why would you think that?” Sapphire asks, horrified.

 

  “Because… because I saw. When I fell, I saw a dream of Pearl and mom during the rebellion, when Pearl chose to stay here on earth with her. Pearl loved Rose, didn’t she?”

 

  “Your mother and Pearl were very close.” Sapphire admits, her voice soft. “Closer than any of us, in ways that admittedly, we could never understand. But even so, she learned to love you-”

 

  “Like we did.” Ruby rejoins. Sapphire’s grip crumbles, she stumbles to the floor.

 

  “Sapphire!?” Ruby panics, checking on Sapphire.

 

  “We made her feel... like it was _her_ fault.” A single tear flows from Sapphire’s fringe, erupting. “I keep looking into the future, when all of this has already been solved... As if it doesn't matter how we feel in the present…” Sapphire cries, voice trembling, turning to Ruby. “No wonder you think I don't _care_.”

 

  At the sight of Sapphire tearing up, Ruby shatters, rushing into a panic. “Sapphire... -- No, no no no no no no no! This is all _my_ fault! I-I didn't want to look for a solution, I-I just wanted to be mad! Y-You're right! You're always right! I was being stupid!”

 

  “I don’t think you’re stupid!” Sapphire frowns at her, sending Ruby into a fluster.

 

  “I’m… sorry…” Ruby brushes Sapphire’s hair to the side, revealing underneath a single crying blue eye.

 

  “You honestly think I’m not upset at everything that’s happened? I was just… trying to do the right thing…” Sapphire says, as Ruby wipes at her tears. “But right now… this isn’t about us.” Sapphire takes her hand, letting her bangs fall before turning to Connie.

 

  “None of this is your fault Connie.” Sapphire grasps her fingers. “Not Pearl, not mine and Ruby’s. I never want you to feel like… any of this wouldn’t have happened, if we didn’t have you.” She presses at her fingers, as Ruby joins her from the other side.

 

  “But… without me, Pearl would still have Rose-”

 

  “And we wouldn’t have you.” Ruby doesn’t let her finish. “You’re more important to us than you realize.”

 

  Connie isn’t sure what that means. “Is it because you guys don’t have Rose anymore?”

 

  She feels two hands grab her in a tight grip, before realizing Ruby has her in a hold. “It’s because of _you.”_

 

Sapphire joins Ruby’s affections. _“_ You’re so much more than Rose, just like how Garnet is so much more than just me and Ruby. Please understand.”

 

  “D-does Pearl care about me?”

 

  “Of course.” Sapphire answers, teary-eyed. “More than Pearl even realizes.”

 

  Suddenly, a flood of emotions rushes through, and she starts crying for no reason apparent to her. “I-I’m sorry-”

 

 “It’s okay.” Ruby warms her embrace, stroking her hair. “Hey, it’s okay. We’ve got you.”

 

  “I-I just miss Pearl so much-”

 

  “I know you do.” Sapphire strokes her hands. “We’ll find her, no matter what it takes.”

 

  For a while, there would be nothing but the sounds of soft sighs and sniffling in the Beach House.

 

  “Are you okay?” Sapphire softly asks, checking up on her.

 

  “N-n-no…” Connie sniffles. “I-I’m s-”

 

  “Shh, it’s okay.” Sapphire tries. “We love you Connie, and we’re sorry we made you think otherwise.”

 

  Ruby plants a kiss on her cheek. “We’ll stay here as long as it takes to make you never doubt us ever again.”

 

  Another length of time passes filled with nothing but soft sighs and whimpering. Sleep nearly claims all three of them, until the screen door squeaks open, prompting all three of them to turn open an eye.

 

  “There you clods are.” Peridot joins the three of them near the kitchen counter, Ruby and Sapphire whispering something indecipherable. “Why were you crying? And why are you all huddled together on the floor?”

 

  Connie hiccups, Ruby sighs. “It’s nothing Peridot.” Sapphire answers for them.

 

  “Nothing?” Peridot doubts, shooting an accusing eye; Ruby glares at her before she sighs in return. “What’s the point? I give up. You emotional, illogical, organic-compound based clods.” Letting herself go, Peridot joins them on the kitchen floor.

 

  “Peridot?” Connie looks over, worried.

 

  “I tried everything. I tried bringing you out of your living chambers, I tried playing video games with you, I tried telling ‘joke.’ I’ll admit. I don’t understand much of what has happened recently, and I don’t really care too much on the issue of Rose Quartz. But I do care about you. That’s the one thing this planet has done to me, but I couldn’t properly return the emotion. In the end, nothing seems to have worked. So I give up. I’ll be sad with you. Happy?”

 

  It takes Connie a moment to piece it all together, but when she does, she bursts out in raucous laughter. “You were trying to cheer me up this entire time?”

 

  Peridot groans. “No you clod, I was trying to elevate your moodlet.” She crosses her arms.

 

  “That means the same thing as cheering someone up Peridot.” Sapphire explains, to which Peridot buries her head in the floor.

 

   “I apologize, if I my method of communicating my meaning was poor.”

 

  “No, that was the most Peridot way of saying what you needed to say. I’m… I’m glad you’re with us Peri.” Connie adds.

 

  “Well.” Peridot clears her throat, “I’m glad you exist as well.”

 

oOoOoOo

 

  Days pass, mostly off-days with several expeditions launched with the goal of finding Pearl. None make it back with the desired gem, though life at the Temple slowly picks back up, with Connie slowly adapting to the newfound weight in her arm. She can’t go for long periods of time without resting the cursed thing, but it’s of no importance to her; what matters is her ability to adapt to the situation at hand, despite Garnet’s attempts to get her to relax.

 

  Eventually, it all comes crashing down; the Crystal Gems are given far more than they can chew at the moment, and it was only a matter of time before something came knocking at the door.

 

  Well, more like screaming.

 

  “Make it stop!” Amethyst protests, desperately trying to cover her ears. The Wailing Stone, having been stored in the closet since it’s capture, drones on a eardrum-shattering wail without ceasing. The sound is far different from when Pearl had demonstrated it’s use to Connie months earlier, more… everything, specifically louder in this case.

 

  “Why-why-why-why-why!” Peridot screams, throwing herself from Connie’s loft in an attempt to make it stop; Connie in turn tries to bury her ears with pillows, but finds no respite.

 

  Connie’s television shatters, marking the need for the third replacement of the year. The shrieking of the wailing stone carries with it enough strength to shake the entire foundation of the Beach House.

 

  “Turn it off!” Connie shrieks from under her pillow.

 

  “It won’t shut off!” Amethyst cries from below, in pain.

 

  “It just activated on it’s own!” Garnet shouts, before phasing a gauntlet and slamming the off-button.

 

  Peace comes. It’s beautiful really, none of them had ever experienced something so bliss-

 

**“ERRRRERRRERERERRRREERRRRRRERRRRRREEERRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”**

 

  Garnet groans as the soundwaves push her back, whilst Peridot is thrown off her feet, sent crashing into a bookshelf, knocking said reading material over.

 

  “That’s it!” Amethyst declares. “I’ve had enough of this shit!” Standing her ground, Amethyst approaches the wailing stone, before encapsulating the device in a bubble.

 

  For a moment; the wailing is muffled for the most part, but the purple bubble stretches, and expands from the soundwaves, until-

 

***POP***

 

  Now free, the wailing stone continues it’s extremely remixed siren song, blaring and wailing and screaming and shrieking. Amethyst screams, picking up a chair and throwing it at the wailing stone at full strength, breaking the chair and accomplishing nothing.

 

  “Are sound waves supposed to work like that!?” Connie screams, covering her ears.

 

  Now done with the whole charade, Garnet moves to stuff the nearest pillows available in the wailing stone’s mechanism, a strategy that succeeds in silencing most of it’s sound. Just in case, Garnet surrounds the stuffed wailing stone with a fort of pillows, garnishing her finished creation with the remains of the chair Amethyst threw.

 

  “Nice G.” Amethyst groans.

 

  “I don't understand,” Garnet rejoins, “that thing has laid dormant since we found it.”

 

  Connie slides down from her loft, into her wheelchair to join them. “Is it supposed to sound like that?” She asks, dazed.

 

  Garnet shakes her head. “Someone is trying to send us a message.”

 

  “Who!?” Amethyst asks. “I thought you said we took care of all of these G.”

 

  Garnet nods in confirmation. “That leaves only one source.” She looks to Peridot.

 

  “Why are you looking at me!? What message would I send to… ourselves!? That you’re a traitorous clod!?”

 

  Garnet shakes her head. “No, I was thinking more… up there.” Garnet points upwards.

 

  “The ceiling?” Peridot frowns.

 

  “Further.”

 

  “The ‘attic?’” Peridot guesses.

 

  “Further.”

 

  Peridot takes her time with this one. “A-ha! I get it now! The sky!”

 

  Garnet shrugs. “Close enough.”

 

  “You really think Homeworld sent us this message?” Connie jumps in.

 

  Garnet adjusts her visor. “At the very least, whoever sent this message will probably be up there.”

 

  Connie purses her lips, brainstorming. “Pearl taught me that wailing stones work similarly to radio waves. Wirelessly. Audio.”

 

  “But right now, it’s indecipherable.” Garnet adds.

 

  “So… could it be a different kind of input?” Connie suggests, to which Garnet purses her lips.

 

  “Eh, what?” Amethyst raises her confusion.

 

  “Maybe it’s morse code? Maybe it’s binary?” Connie puts forward, causing everyone’s gaze to return to Peridot.

 

  “Wait, why are you all looking at me?” Peridot flusters.

 

oOoOoOo

 

  Amethyst grants Peridot permission to use whatever she needs from her room in order to successfully decipher whatever emission the Wailing Stone is putting out. It takes her several hours into the night, but eventually Peridot crafts a crude setup in Connie’s room she claims is ‘capable’ of deciphering the Wailing Stone’s emission.

 

  That is, if whatever’s coming from the Wailing Stone turns out to be video in the first place.

 

  “What’s taking so long Peri?” Amethyst sighs, digging through the fridge for snacks she and Peridot mutually like. A difficult task, given that the fridge has long become destocked in Pearl’s absence, Connie too awkward to try for the nearest grocery store.

 

  “This primitive video device I have been forced to adapt to is difficult to work with!” Peridot grits. “For starters, what’s a Takeda?”

 

  “It’s…” Connie starts, before realizing she doesn’t want to have to explain the concept of corporate entities, capitalist economic systems, and the State of Japan this moment. “Nothing important.”

 

  Peridot continues attending to her setup; Amethyst takes her seat, but in no time, grows antsy, pacing around the room. Connie does her best to wait patiently alongside Garnet. Eventually, their patience is rewarded, when an electrical snapping signals Peridot’s success.

 

 **** “A-ha! I did it!” Peridot celebrates.

 

  “Uh… Peri?” Amethyst tilts her head, plopping another strawberry into her mouth.

 

  “You need to put the video cord in the video input.” Connie points out.

 

  “Oh. Right.” Peridot sighs, before plugging the color-coded cords in.

 

   Connie’s cracked television screen comes to life; a familiar blue figure appears on-screen.

 

**_“Connie!”_ **

 

  “L-Lapis!” Connie breaks from her wheelchair to get closer.

 

  “Holy shit.” Amethyst gawks, strawberry falling from her mouth.

 

  “Everyone, listen up.” Garnet orders.

 

**_“I hope you're able to hear this. There's a Gem looking for you, she even knew your name. I don't know how! I didn't tell her, I swear! She's on her way to Earth, and she's not alone. Connie, Homeworld is not the way it used to be. Everything here is so advanced! I can't even understand it. There's no way anything on Earth can stand up to it. Please, don't put up a fight, It'll only lead to devastation--”_ **

 

  The video cuts out to static; Peridot makes no attempt to restore the video feed, staring at the once active television screen.

 

  “My replacement.” Peridot realizes. “It must be my replacement; she must be frustrated enough from all your delays that she’s decided to launch the mission without sufficient preparation.” Peridot presses a weary hand against her chin. “She’s coming. They’re coming.”

 

  “We’re janked.” Amethyst stares, dead. “We’re absolutely screwed.”

 

  “Lapis.” Connie whimpers, staring at her bandaged arm. “She sounded… hurt…”

 

  Peridot stares out the window, into the stars above now that her home was finally coming to her. Amethyst panics to herself, muttering incomprehensible hysterics in the background. Connie’s arm feels all the more heavier, all the more dead weight. And Garnet…

 

  Garnet wordlessly stands up from her seat. “Gems.”

 

  Peridot and Connie break from their trances, Amethyst breaks from her panic.

 

  “We need to find Pearl. **Now.** ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit 100k words
> 
> If i spent these words writing academia instead of trash i’d have a phd by now
> 
> if you were looking for a resolution to several of the elements from last chapter; consider this work a slow burn. Emphasis on slow.


	21. Interlude: Choice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amethyst takes Peridot out on the town, causing her to finally realizing something important.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you've seen them get high, now watch them get drunk; one last interlude into the void

  It was undeniable how fond Peridot had grown of Amethyst‘s “taking her out.” With each excursion, came new experiences. What especially amazed her was the way Amethyst carried herself; she’d always invite Peridot just days later in spite of the success rate of the last excursion. 

 

  Even when Peridot had grimaced over her inability to enjoy their time at the ‘vintage store,’ having made no effort to feign wonder, Amethyst still looked as if she was enjoying herself the entire time, their next outing to the renaissance fair coming days later.

 

  It doesn’t make sense; Amethyst was still the superior gem in contrast to her in terms of composure and personality. She was a Quartz after all; Quartzes were intuitively predisposed to forming sisterly bonds with each other, while Peridots were predisposed to isolation, antisocial moodlets, only working with other gems when  _ absolutely necessary _ .

 

_   ‘There were no other Amethyst guards here,’  _ she reminds herself.  _ ‘She’s only putting up with you because there really isn’t anyone else available to form pack bonds with.’ _

 

__ So the stars were looking down on her with luck as it would seem.  _ Circumstance _ , was the sole reason of her current pair bond with Amethyst, she has to remind herself to be grateful for.

 

  Still, there were certain aspects to Earth that she wouldn’t fake being happy at, even for Amethyst. This _ ‘bar,’ _ being one of them; Amethyst had warped them into some far-off human settlement to get away from the stress of searching for Pearl for a few hours. 

 

  Peridot hadn’t been anticipating food. Specifically, the heavier carnivorous foods. Sweet foods and fruits she would approach with curiosity, but the platter of ‘Kei-sei-diyahs,’ Amethyst was currently wolfing down looked anything but appetizing at the moment.

 

  Blasting from the primitive audio devices set up around the establishment was atrocious music of some obnoxious human singer. Mediocre enough to be tunable, yet oppressively loud enough to be turned grating. Stuffing the air of the establishment was some sort of thick smoke similar to that of the hallucinogen ritual she and Amethyst had took part in weeks earlier, and several other times after. She thanked the stars she didn’t have to breathe.

 

  “You gonna eat?” Amethyst mumbles in between bites, cheesy mush falling from her lips, making Peridot shudder in revulsion.

 

  “I will decline. This isn’t really… my ‘taste’.” She hopes she’s using that phrase right.

 

  Amethyst looks at her, concerned, until she comes to some sort of realization. “Whoops. Forgot meat really wasn’t your thing. You want me to reorder this with just cheese?”

 

  Amethyst is always so concerned with her that it confuses her to no end. “I suppose I’m not in the mood to eat as of this moment.”

 

  “That’s totally fine by me. Means the booze’ll hit you a lot faster than it normally does.” Amethyst frowns, giving herself a moment to ponder her statement. “I think. That’s how it works for people…”

 

  “Booze?” Peridot frowns at her, to which Amethyst responds with a giddy smile.

 

  “Alright Peri, so you remember the green we smoked way back?”

 

  “The green?” 

 

  “Weed.”

 

   “The hallucinogen?”

 

   “Yeah. I think. Well, humans love going out to these places to get absolutely  _ smashed. _ We drink booze, alcohol until the sun comes back up, and we head back home absolutely trashed. Understand?”

 

  “So… these are…” She gestures to the dingy bar around her, “legal dispensaries of hallucinogenic substances?”

 

  Amethyst’s grin is wide. “Well, i think the word for it is intoxicating. But yeah, close enough. You’ll have to shapeshift a bloodstream for this.”

 

oOoOoOo

 

  Smells foul, tastes foul, is foul. Apparently, all Earth hallucinogens had ‘foulness’ as a general trait in common. Fortunately for her, Amethyst just tells her to turn her taste buds off; she downs the ‘vodka’ with ease, though sputtering hot air when the intoxicant passes through her throat.

 

  “Nice Peri!” Amethyst pats her back, wrapping an arm around her waist. “Yo, bartender, another one?”

 

  Peridot stifles a squeal; she’s trying to act ‘cool’ like Amethyst said, and she thinks squealing wouldn’t fall under that category.

  
  


oOoOoOo

 

  “You know, I’ve never realized this before,” Amethyst smiles, “but you’re pretty.” Peridot was failing to experience the effects described by Amethyst prior to consuming her first glass. Amethyst on the other hand, was ‘getting closer’ to what Amethyst had termed ‘getting wasted.’ She was constantly getting distracted by everyone around them, occasionally joining them which irritated Peridot.

 

  “Pretty?” Peridot flusters.

 

  “Yeah. You’ve got like… curves and shit, and your eyes look really cute under that visor of yours.” 

 

  “Curves?” Peridots aren’t meant to be pretty; they’re built small and lean to render small spaces accessible; and their small size contrasted to earlier model era I Peridots came from the fact that Homeworld had reduced the minimum amount of  _ potential _ to be allocated per gem during the transition to Era II  _ (a magnificent decision to expedite efficiency by Yellow Diamond herself, maximizing the numbers of gems to be made per Kindergarten _ . _ ) _ To compensate for the reduced magical capacity per gem due to the reduction of  _ potential, _ Era II gems were granted technological augmentations to enhance their functionality.

 

  “Hey, what’s wrong?”

 

  Peridot looks at Amethyst inconspicuously. “Excuse me?”

 

  “You don’t seem to be having fun.”

 

  “I’m having fun. I am with you, after all.” Peridot admits, causing Amethyst to chuckle.

 

  “I swear Peri, one day you’re going to get someone to think you’re flirting with them and you won’t even know it.”

 

  “Flirting?”

 

  “Cute, and a charmer.” Amethyst grins at her. Peridot’s cheeks burn, she doesn’t know why Amethyst is the only gem she’ll allow to call her cute.

 

  “How am I these qualities?” Peridot downs the next glass, trying to reach the intended effects.

 

   Peridot shrinks with insecurity as Amethyst scrutinizes her form in order to justify her previous statements. “Well, I don’t really know. Other than the curves, everything about you is weird. Like your hair. It’s like a fucking dorito, and your skin; not sure how many people are into lime green alien space babes. Your height doesn’t do much for you as well, and this is coming from me. Us Shorty-Squad members, we-”

 

  Peridot’s eyes burn; she doesn’t know what, or why she’s crying but she does.

 

  “H-hey,” Amethyst goes to concerned mode, “what’s wrong?”

 

  “I-I don’t know.” Peridot’s eyes freeze on Amethyst, and now she’s made her worry about her. “Everything feels fuzzy, and it’s hard to think-”

 

  “Shit Peri, you’re drunk!” Amethyst laughs.

 

  Peridot sputters incredulously. “This is being ‘drunk?’ This is terrible! Why would anyone want to be like this!? Aragh!” She stumbles off her stool, taking her next glass with her.

 

oOoOoOo

 

  Seven downed drinks between the two of them later, and other than the thick hazy mist that had settled on her senses upon downing her first drink, Peridot felt no change in her status. Irritatingly, the intoxicants had left their foulness stuck inside her throat, disregarding the fact that her taste bud receptors were currently inactive.

 

  Amethyst on the other hand, had become even more careless and outgoing, bursting into guffaws at the slightest provocation and more often getting distracted by humans, away from Peridot.

 

  Peridot grumbles against the shoddy, uncomfortable seating hosting her currently. It raises the her high up above the dirt-coated floor, covered in the erratic, colorful lighting this establishment provides; the height just serves as another reminder of the absence of her limb enhancers, a pain that has only grown more acute with time.

 

  Center of this horrid establishment; some type of designated space for dancing, where the intoxicated humans were all clumping together into one impenetrable mash; why humans associated intoxication with dancing, erratic their styles were, is beyond her.

 

  Another glass of the intoxicating drink is downed by Amethyst, who stumbles towards her, almost falling toward the filthy ground, taking Peridot with her. “Let’s dance.” Amethyst grins, steadying herself as she stands. “You’re not woozy?”

 

  “...No?” Peridot stares at her, fine as she can be. Fuzzy perhaps, but not impaired in her coordination.

 

  Amethyst’s smile is wide enough for her to forget that she doesn’t know how to dance. The enter the mass of humans with surprising ease; it’s when Amethyst starts moving around and Peridot starts staring does she remember she actually has to dance.

 

  “Why aren’t you dancing?” Amethyst laughs, her movements erratic and almost indistinguishable from the mass around her. What marks her from the others, is that she is  more aesthetically and visually pleasing to watch.

 

  “I don’t know how to dance.”

 

  “Just move!” Amethyst shoves her in a bid to get her body to move, Peridot acquiesces, trying to tune in into the oppressive beat and settling on a repetitive motion.

 

  Amethyst guffaws at the sight of it all, and all Peridot wants to do is curl into a ball. “Here, take my hand!”

 

  So she does. And now the effects of the intoxicant are finally showing as she feels her face flush with warmth. The music is switched to something even more loud and bombastic, and for whatever reason, it harmonizes with Peridot.

 

  “Dude, now you’re finally getting it!”

 

  Peridot’s eyes widen at her words and encourage her to dance harder. “I am?”

 

  “I mean, we’d probably look like total douchebags if everyone here wasn’t totally trashed. Buy yeah, you’re totally killing it!”

 

  Peridot freezes. “I am!?”

 

  “Uh, just a saying! You’re doing good Dot!”

 

oOoOoOo

   Eventually the music was shifted to something softer, and Peridot’s disappointment took her back to her seat, leaving her alone at the bar to play with her glasses, watching Amethyst make friends with each and every one of the ‘bar’s’ patrons.

 

  “Yoo.” Amethyst smiles, guzzling down another glass, an unsteady arm waving her down. “Dot! Why don’t you come and join us!”

 

  Peridot smiles, but shakes her head, finding the crowd of humans surrounding her undesirable and the current selection of music blasting from the audio devices unable to block them all out . She wanted to be with Amethyst, not Amethyst and an insufferable crowd of humans.

 

_ ‘Amethyst is made for these kinds of social contexts.’ Peridot reminds herself. ‘And you aren’t.’ _

 

  “Heyaa.” Amethyst slurs, having stumbled all the way toward her, apparently a side-effect of the intoxicant. The grin on her face is wide and makes Peridot look away; that she can’t enjoy herself properly in Amethyst’s space while Amethyst herself is engorged in euphoria makes her disappointed in herself.

 

_ Amethysts were made to be Amethysts. Peridots were made to be Peridots. _

 

__ Her eyes burn again.

 

  “Peri?” Amethyst climbs onto the bar stool, visibly concerned. “Anything wrong?”

 

  Stars, they were close now and she couldn’t tell why this bothered her.

 

_ Be honest. Amethyst likes honesty, right? _

 

  A nervous breath, before Peridot starts. “I would suppose that I am still focusing on prior comments you made about my physicality.”

 

  Amethyst frowns, drawing even closer, which Peridot notices.

 

  “What? I’m getting sorta trashed right now, sorry.”

 

   Breathing isn’t necessary for gems; it’s utility came from stress relief, a ‘cleansing,’ if one would believe, of whatever was stressing the gem in question. And Amethyst was close enough that she could feel her breaths; delicate, so unlike her.

 

  “I mean, about the comments you made before about my appearance.” Peridot asks, more vulnerable than she’s comfortable with. “Did you mean them?”

 

  Amethyst’s mouth hangs for a brief moment; for some reason Peridot can’t decipher, those lips look so soft… so warm.

 

  “I,” Amethyst flusters, “shit. I was talking out of my ass there. I shouldn’t have-”

 

  Peridot holds her hands up to indicate their innocence. “You’re just stating your observation. Far be it from me to censor your-”

 

  “I shouldn’t have said anything, I’m was just projecting.” Amethyst doesn’t bother letting her finish. Peridot wonders whether the intoxicant makes her more, or less truthful; the latter would make more sense. “Dot, you’re cute as fuck, a fucking ten. I was just dumping all of my shit on you and letting you take the fall.”

 

  Half of her words are indecipherable, likely Earth jargon, she tells herself. “What?”

 

  Amethyst looks down, at both the floor, and at herself. “I mean you’re gorgeous. And I’m not. I was just… talking about myself, when I said those things. Not you.”

 

  Not the answer Peridot was looking for; her disapproval shifts. “I think you’re aesthetically pleasing Amethyst.”

 

  Contrary to Peridot’s honesty, Amethyst just sullens even further. “But I’m defective. Wrong. I wouldn’t be wrong if I came out right, just like you said.”

 

  Peridot frowns, trying to find some hole in Amethyst’s statement that she can just pick apart. She wasn’t made for empathy, but she’s learned to grow more attuned to the emotional status of the gems around her, especially Amethyst.

 

  “I don’t think you’re-”

 

  “But I am. I wasn’t meant to be this way.” She gestures towards her body, toward the hole Homeworld had dug for her. “It’s why Pearl left. Because I told her I loved her, and maybe wanted to fuck her a little bit,” she lifts her glass of intoxicant to her lips and spills, dribbling the liquid all over her lips and front, “and now she’s gone. Because of me.”

 

  “I,” Peridot gestures towards the intoxicant manager, who offers her a napkin for her to clean Amethyst up with. “I thought it was Connie that caused her to leave. Not Connie, but… what happened between the two of them.”

 

  “Yeah,” Amethyst slumps on the hard table, “but she might wanna… talk about it… if I weren’t such an ass.” Amethyst tries to wave the intoxicant manager down for presumably more of the vile liquid, who makes a gesture indicating denial, the first act of sanity in this hive of socially permissible chaos.

 

oOoOoOo

 

  She tells herself she doesn’t know why she agreed to come along with Amethyst when she’s literally dragging Amethyst’s passed out body far later into the Earth rotation, it’s sun still set for the day/night cycle.

 

  The stars are bright out tonight, bathing the Earth underneath it all under a delicate luminescence that Peridot remembers might be shattered one day; give some natural calamity, some human-engineered disaster, or simple bad luck in the form of a stray asteroid, and the cycle of life and death, love and birth would be shattered, vaporized in the span of minutes.

 

  But she can hear Garnet reminding her that it all might come back someday, and that it would be prudent to enjoy it all while the current epoch of life reigned.

 

  She came along with Amethyst because Amethyst was there; what other reason was there? And despite the lunacy of socially permissible institutions where humans exchange labor for intoxicating liquids, she had fun. Mainly because of Amethyst; she couldn’t imagine having the experiences she had with another gem.

 

  Pearl? Maybe they’d have fun mutually criticizing everything about the institution, and Garnet… Garnet was in her words, an experience, so she’d have to virtually experience it with her in order to judge if she’d enjoy herself or not.

 

  She has to figure out why Amethyst elicits these emotional responses from her she would have found irrational so long ago. Amethyst was rash, reckless, stubborn, rash, careless, spontaneous, reliable,  amusing, witty, comical, playful, caring, empathetic… it’s too many words. One word can’t capture what Amethyst is, and like Garnet, she too, is an experience. Much like Pearl… or Connie… but Amethyst is an experience… she likes more? Over all the others?

 

  She doesn’t know why she enjoys Amethyst’s company so much; maybe she’ll be able to sort it all out with the written form; by writing her thoughts down, as she used to do with her logs back when… 

 

  When she was still in Homeworld’s service.

 

  She still is, isn’t she?

 

  Not a single complaint is made all the way from the ‘bar’ to the warp pad they came in on; though Peridot does worry she’s damaging Amethyst’s form by dragging it against the harsh concrete. Nevertheless, they make it back to the temple eventually, and Peridot dedicates all her strength towards tossing Amethyst on the nearest couch she can find.

 

  Connie sleeps soundly in her loft; she doesn’t understand how she didn’t wake her up, ut she’s grateful nonetheless.

 

  Grabbing the nearest available writing utensils in the kitchen, Peridot scribbles down two conclusions on the nearest primitive form of information storage she can find.

 

  All she comes up with are two points;

 

  1. Amethyst is incredibly pleasing, in the aesthetic sense.
  2. She wants to stay on Earth with Amethyst.



 

She would find herself staring at the second point throughout the night, until the morning after.

 

oOoOoOo

 

  “Have fun last night?” is what Garnet greets Peridot with, who immediately collapses from the seat she’d found and taken the entire night prior.

 

  “I want to die.” Peridot groans, her senses ringing.

 

  “Here,” Garnet offers Peridot a water container; Peridot swears she can hear Garnet’s grin, “you’ll be needing this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PERIDOT HAS REALIZED HER FEELINGS WHO WILL WIN THE RACE FOR AMETHYSTS HEART (actual spoiler!!!: both of them probably but it’ll take time also this isn’t a race)
> 
> Only reason for the delay is bc I was actually writing jailbreak and the return instead of the next chapter like an organized person :/
> 
> Last interlude of the arc. We’ve got 3 chapters till jailbreak, 2 chapters till The Return. Next Up: The Search. Plan to be done by… mid september at least. Hopefully sooner, but I’m unreliable with this stuff.
> 
> Also, I’ve never been on a dance floor before, not a bar gal, more of a beach bitch. Hope I got this right?


	22. The Search

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Crystal Gems search for Pearl alongside Peridot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this probably sucks

  “Status report.”

 

  “Garnet,” Amethyst is first, “I think it’s obvious none of us found Pearl-”

 

  “Any signs of Pearl?” Garnet elaborates, having taken notice that search party two _(Amethyst, Peridot, and Connie,)_ had come back short one Pearl.

 

  They had been searching for Pearl for nine days straight since deciphering Lapis’s broadcast, and without a suitable logician familiar with Earth’s terrain, all four of her would-be rescuers were running in completely blind, and returning with unsurprising results. The strategy was simple; scour every gem ruin on Earth until Pearl could be found, but with the Crystal Gems suffering from inadequate numbers for thousands of years on end, they just didn’t have the numerical capacity to find her.

 

“Even if Pearl left behind signs she was there,” Amethyst inputs, “what makes you think that total priss wouldn’t just fix it up right after!” She groans. “Why do we have to go searching for the total neat freak, if it was me, we’d find me in minutes!”

 

  “Amethyst, be serious.” Garnet reprimands her, which earns her a glare.

 

  “Maybe we need to get inside of Pearl’s head.” Connie suggests, still wheelchair bound.

 

   White flashes in the Temple’s living room; Amethyst’s form distorts, evaporates, before rebuilding itself as Pearl’s physicality, violet tinted.

 

  “Why, yes we do!” Amethyst mocks Pearl’s voice. “All you need to do to find me, is run away and pretend like Rose never affected any of us, that way! It’s just, that, easy! Except we have the friggin future on our side,” she gestures to Garnet, “and we still can’t find her!”

 

  “I never saw Pearl running away like this. My future vision’s useless Amethyst.”

 

  Amethyst throws her Pearl-hands up. “See!?”  


  “I was being serious Amethyst.” Connie sighs, wheeling over to the kitchen for refreshments.

 

  “Amethyst,” Garnet starts, “I know it’s boring. But this is serious.”  


  Amethyst grumbles incoherently, her body returning to form in a flash of light. “I am! It’s Pearl, who isn’t being serious!”

 

  “I get it. It’s tiring. But we need to focus.” Garnet snaps back.

 

  “Why the hell are you yelling at me! Pearl’s the one who up and left!”

 

  “I know that. All of us know that, but that won’t help us find her.”

 

  “This,” Amethyst seethes, “is so pointless! Why don’t we just leave her wherever she is? We can fight off Homeworld, just the three of us, won’t we Peri?”

 

  Peridot, having remained silent through this whole debacles, whimpers. “I… suppose.”

 

  Amethyst recognizes her friend’s reluctance, suddenly being put on the spot to defect or not, and decides to let the question drop. Sighing, and with the wind knocked out of her, Amethyst walks away from the briefing table, towards the warp pad.

 

  “Amethyst-” Garnet tries.

 

  “I’ll find her.” Amethyst mantras, avoiding Garnet’s gaze. “I’ll find her.”

 

  A flash of light takes Amethyst’s form away to wherever she’s warping onward to, leaving Connie, Garnet, and Peridot alone with the fact they’ve up and lost another one of the Crystal Gems.

 

  “I could have handled that better.” Garnet sighs.

 

oOoOoOo

 

  Heart-wrenchingly romantic, was the summer meadow she and the others had fought in so long ago, during a time before Peridot. With patches of lavender-pink heart-shaped wildflowers, Connie could swear that this meadow had served as the filming location of one of the many hundreds of romantic comedies available on Flix, regardless of quality.

 

  She also happens to be allergic to the pollen here, greatly limiting her searching capacity.

 

  First location on the list: The Flower Meadow.

 

  “Keep going…” Connie gets in through mucus covered sniffles, “I think I saw something…”

 

  “You saw nothing.” Peridot retorts, struggling to wheel her through the grassy knoll. “Let’s leave this area for Garnet; I am not helping you clean your disgusting nasal byproduct up.”

 

oOoOoOo

 

   Oppression is what they warp to next, the world warped, ripped, ruined around center stage; The Geode. A rock pitch-black as the stars itself that held a synthetic, self-sustaining storm within. Damage to the exterior shell would led to inevitable detonation unless resolved, so it came as a surprise that the solution to this situation posed to the gems turned out to be a material incredibly mundane.

 

  Marking their (anticlimactic) victory, the weather is a serene calm; other than the sound of her own breathing, and the chatter of life returning to the local ecosystem, there is nary a sound between them and the geode.

 

  “I still can’t believe that thing’s still holding.” Connie sighs, head in her free arm.   

 

  “How _did_ you manage to seal that clod with just your primitive sealing material?” Peridot narrows at it.

 

  “We sorta ran out of duct tape midway through and had to start using a glue stick.” Connie deadpans.

 

oOoOoOo

 

  “What is that organic monstrosity of a clod abomination!?” Peridot gawks at the infamous goat which had terrorized the mission to The Sky Spire, now-

 

  “Oh stars, it has kids!” Connie panics, as the goat and it’s two children turn on them.

 

  “Warp, warp, warp warp warp-warp-!”

 

oOoOoOo

 

  In the midst of the Tungaska Sea, dozens of kilometers away from the great port of Siberia, Mangazeya, lies a ruin unbeknownst to human civilization. Covered from the sky by a thick, indiffusible gray storm, and protected by an endless swarm of crags and icebergs, jutting from the sea alongside those vessels foolish enough to sail in new waters; each crew now rests at the bottom of the sea.

 

  The ruin in question, the Galaxy Warp awaits, untouched by time, yet clearly damaged from Garnet’s decommissioning of the Homeworld warp.

 

  “Ah, excellent.” Peridot mutters bitterly as she wheels Connie around the perimeter, a generous distance away from the edge in precaution. “This is where you Crystal Gems attacked me and trapped me on this lonely, desolate rock.”

 

  “A lonely, desolate rock that just to happens to be home to your favorite gems.” Connie quips, glowing at her.

 

  When Connie notices an immediate lack of movement on her wheelchair, she turns, and finds Peridot, eyes on the stars. Homeworld’s Star, to be exact; it shines brighter than all other stars in visible space, yet has never been documented by the human eye. Save her and Steven, but she’s an obvious exception to the rule, and Steven was an anomaly.

 

  Peridot misses home, that couldn’t be denied. Connie could only hope she’d miss her in return.

 

  “Peridot?” Connie tries, to which Peridot dreamily nods.

 

  For a moment, Peridot, she’s back on Homeworld. With a direction, with an objective, with _purpose_.

 

  “Let’s just go.”

 

oOoOoOo

 

  “Amethyst still hasn’t come back?” Is Connie’s first question when all three of them _(her, Garnet, Peridot,)_ return back to the briefing table at the designated time to share results. No Pearl in tow, so everyone can infer on the progress they’ve made. More concerning on their minds, was the absence of Amethyst.

 

  “No.” Is Garnet’s answer, blunt, and unforgiving as it is.

 

  Peridot throws up her arms. “Great, just great! So we don’t know where Pearl is, and we don’t know where Amethyst-”

 

  “Amethyst is at the Kindergarten.” Garnet is quick to rebut, which sends Connie and Peridot into questioning.

 

  “Why haven’t you-” Peridot tries.

 

  “She won’t want to talk to me.” Garnet answers, eyes weary through her visor. “You,” she gestures towards the both of them, “need to talk to her.”

 

  “Why us?” Peridot is quick to ask. Connie’s thoughts were turning sour.

 

   _“It’s all because of this whole Pearl thing.”_

 

  “You’ll know the answer,” Garnet distances herself away from Peridot, “when you get there.”

 

  A passing moment, Peridot stares at Garnet, certain that she feels what Garnet meant. Unfortunately for her, it’s an unintelligible mess of contradictions and false paths, each of which would all end in disaster, save for one.

 

  “How likely am I to mess this up?” Peridot takes a useless breath, a habit acquired from Amethyst.

 

  “All you need to know,” Garnet kneels down to face her on her terms, “is that _you_ , are Peridot. And nothing can change this.”   


  “Would it shatter you for once to tell a straight answer for once in your existence?” Peridot grumbles, getting a laugh out of Connie.

 

  Garnet shakes her head. “You have to find this answer yourselves. If I tell you where it is, you’ll never be able to find it.”

 

  Peridot groans, before getting behind Connie’s wheelchair to wheel her towards the warp pad; before she can, Garnet stops her, with a final message .

 

  “Connie.”

 

  Still cooped up in her wheelchair, she straightens up as best as she can. “Yes Garnet?”

 

  Garnet’s always towered over her, but she’s never _felt_ as unsteady as she was before in her life. “I know you think this is your fault. That Pearl left because of you, and that none of this would have happened if you hadn’t come along. But the truth is, we’re scared. Scared of Homeworld coming back, scared that we might never find Pearl before they do. Scared… scared of Rose leaving.”

 

  “But… she’s…”

 

  “I… I know.” Garnet’s visor is readjusted. “Connie, lately, I’ve felt so lost.”

 

  Connie tries a reassuring hand, as empty as it may be. “Don’t worry, everyone feels lost.”

 

  “It’s not just that. Connie, everything’s been happening so fast. First Peridot, then Pearl, now you. You’re growing up so fast lately, you realize?”

 

  Her thoughts turn sour, her memories call her back to how she had convinced herself trekking out into space for Lapis was a good idea, how she thought the same for heading out to search Pearl alone. How Garnet had split up because of her, how she had come so close to dragging Steven into all of this, how she was useless and in a wheelchair now because she couldn’t keep Pearl from-

 

  She tells herself to stop. This is what Garnet wanted to get her out of.

 

  “It sure doesn’t feel like it.” Connie replies with, instead.

 

  Garnet sits on the floor next to her wheelchair. “Gems aren’t able to mature like you, our gems stay static throughout our entire lifespans, our physical projections only changing upon their destruction. Change doesn’t come naturally to us. But you, you’ve come a long way from that plucky little girl who begged to be taken on missions every other day.”

 

  Connie sinks in her wheelchair, as if to make herself smaller. “Eh-heh…”

 

  A hand rests on the small of her back. “Your mother said that change was a gift, natural to Earth. Natural to humans. And with all of what’s been happening recently… we never intended any of this to happen.”

 

  “Garnet?”

 

  “We thought that we’d live out your life together peacefully. You’d gain control over your powers, you’d join us on missions whenever possible. But the truth was, having you changed us. And suddenly, before we knew it, moments that passed by in the blink of an eye for us gems became months, weeks, days. In a way… you made time _human_ for us.”

 

  “I… did?”

 

  “It’s… harder to see things.” Garnet admits, quietly. “This world we’ve created was so improbable I couldn’t see it so long ago, and now we’re on the outskirts of the impossible, following trickles to an ending I don’t want to see realized. Especially with you. I can’t tell where you’re going anymore. It used to be just, training and what might hurt you in the house or on the mission, but now I don’t know how we’ve got ourselves here, and I don’t know how to get out. I don’t know what will happen to us when Homeworld finally returns, and I don’t know what will happen once you and Peridot warp off to the Kindergarten.”

 

  “I suppose I’ve already said it, but… I’m scared.”

 

  “That’s okay.” Connie tries. “We can be scared together.”

 

  “No, no, I’m the leader. I have this ability, and I have to lead us out of where it’s lead us and-”

 

  “Garnet?”

 

  Garnet’s visor is far off now, lost in time, travelling toward whatever calls it back.“The Diamonds’ final attack on Earth. I could have seen it coming, and maybe I could have saved more lives, and maybe we wouldn’t be in this mess we’re currently in. Sapphire still beats herself up for it every day, and Ruby… she’s sworn to never stop fighting because of them.”

 

  “What about you?”

 

  “I suppose I’m terribly sad about it all. Stars knows your mother and Pearl were after losing everyone under their command.”

 

  At this, Garnet goes uncharacteristically silent; Garnet silences were supposed to be enigmatic and confusing. Smoke and mirrors; this time, the performance was out of energy, and noone in the audience could blame her.

 

   “I’ll find Amethyst.” Connie wheels herself forward, nowhere else to go. “And after that, we’ll find Pearl, and we’ll beat back Homeworld, and find a way to help everyone. Centipeetle, the forced fusions… _everyone_.”

 

  Garnet’s gaze loses itself in her, her stare piercing and unbreaking. They have millions of words they want to say, but it’s _Garnet,_ meaning she’d rather opt for brevity, rather than numerality.

 

  “You have my faith in you. And before you go, there’s something I have to tell you.”

 

  “What?”

 

   Her eyes draw to the heart, formed by Garnet’s hands on her chest.

 

  A teasing smile, nothing more.

 

  “I love you.”

 

oOoOoOo

 

  “She isn’t in there.” Peridot confirms, as she exits out of Amethyst’s incubation hole.

 

  “Let’s move forward.” Connie furrows at the desolate wasteland of the Kindergarten, each section virtually indistinguishable to anyone unfamiliar with it’s organization. “Uh… what sector did you say was next?”

 

  “Sector R-1/9.” Peridot grabs hold of the ends of Connie’s wheelchair, wheeling her off into another part of the canyon.

 

  “Right. You sure we’re not going the way we came from?”

 

  “The erosion weathers eastward, so yes. Also the placement markers indicate that we’re entering Sector R-1/9.”

 

  Connie scrutinizes her surroundings for any said placement markers, and finds none. “Where?”

 

  Peridot points out three indistinguishable points in the walls, getting a sigh on Connie’s end, who rests her head in her good arm. “Remind me to ask you later how the architecture of a Kindergarten works.”

 

  “Noted. We’ll be returning to the warp pad soon, meaning we’ll have gone full circle around what was finished of the Kindergarten before it’s premature deactivation. Are you sure Garnet is right about this?”

 

  “Garnet doesn’t just tell us details like that. And when she does, it’s serious, and she’ll have some real faith that she’ll turn out to be right. She won’t be wrong about this. Let’s keep looking.”

 

oOoOoOo

 

  “Amethyst!?”

 

  “Have you found Pearl!?” Peridot echoes through the desolation of the Kindergarten, having completed their second circle around the Kindergarten. They had resorted to just shouting her name over and over again, their voices bouncing off the walls of manufactured isolation.

 

  “This isn’t going to work.” Connie groans.

 

  “Well, what are we going to do? If Garnet’s right, we can’t just leave. If she’s here, then she’ll definitely know we’re here now, so we have to stay.”

 

  Instinctively, Connie’s good arm feels for her gem. “That’s it.” She realizes.

 

  “What’s it.”

 

  “You’re a gem. You’ll be able to _feel_ her magical presence.”

 

  Peridot flusters, throwing her hands up defensively. “Me? What am I going to do?”

 

  At this very pertinent question, Connie raises a finger to speak, and immediately puts her foot in her mouth. “I don’t know.”

 

  “Excellent orders commander.” Peridot actually uses sarcasm; a first that would have been celebrated in virtually any other situation but this one. “This plan is impermeable.”

 

  Connie groans. “Well, Pearl described it as a _feeling_. You already know how to do it! Pearl said all gems know how to read another gem’s magical presence because they can tell one peridot from another in a swarm of peridots. Just do the same thing for Amethyst!”

 

  “This is never going to work; us Era II Peridots, don’t have magical presence. We can’t even use magic at all; under Yellow Diamond’s reforms, Kindergartens would be reformed to prioritize quantity over quality; we’re made to meet the bare minimum of _potential_ necessary to form a gem, a cutoff which unfortunately doesn’t include magic.”

 

  “That’s… horrible.” Connie pauses, looking over Peridot with unwanted concern.

 

  “I… suppose.” Peridot awkwardly ruminates, her thoughts turning towards the ethical ramifications of such a reform.

 

  “But you still have _potential_ in you. I… I have faith, that you’ll find her. Just, trust me.” Connie holds out her good hand, Peridot looks at it with weary suspicion, her mind set on the parallels between her current form, and Amethyst’s.

 

  But Amethyst was realizing what her form could be, and she-

 

  “Peridot?”

 

  Peridot shakes from her thoughts. “What do I do?”

 

  “Just… think about her, and take us in that direction.”

 

oOoOoOo

 

  Peridot’s emotions lead them down an express hallway, carved between canyons for the ease of access between the two channels, uncarved with the many incubation holes and wreckage of injectors that litter and infect the main passages.

 

  Eventually, a single out-of-place rock catches their eye, one that matches the crevasse of a nearby crumble in the wall that just-so-happens to house the gem they’re looking for.

 

  “Amethyst!” They rush towards her, though Amethyst, huddled, covered by shadows, and looking outright exhausted, **growls** at them.

 

   **“Go. Away.”**

 

  Connie’s wheelchair freezes, Peridot obeying Amethyst’s command. Frozen, Peridot recieves a tap on the thigh from Connie for her to _keep moving_. “Amethyst,” Peridot lets her try first, “Garnet told us you’d be here-”

 

   **“Maybe Garnet needs to know when to mind her own business.”**

 

“W-what?” The wheelchair stops moving.

 

  Amethyst stands up. Her white hair, unmatted and oily, engulfs her eyes. Her skin is a paler shade of violet than normal, and looks outright pasty.

 

 **“Go. Away.”** ****  


“Amethyst, we need you. Peridot needs you, Garnet needs you, I need you, Pearl needs you.” She bites her lip on the last words, having slammed headfirst into a metaphorical wall.

 

   **“Pearl’s back?”**

 

  Amethyst’s eyes, red, peek through her fringe.

 

  “N...no.”

 

**“Leave.”**

 

  Amethyst’s eyes disappear again, Peridot receives another tap on the thigh.

 

  “I won’t leave you Amethyst.”

 

  At this, Amethyst sweeps up her hair, her eyes are bloodshot and worn; she’s been crying for stars know how long.

**“Everything just has to be your way, doesn’t it?”**

 

  Her wheelchair hasn’t moved an inch. “W-what?”

 

**Amethyst’s eyes glow.**

 

 **“Everything has to be your way! Everything has to be for you, everything’s changed because of you! But don’t worry, everything’s fine! We won, after all! That’s why they fought this stupid war, didn’t they! To protect you and shut this stupid place down from** **_parasites_ ** **like me!”**

 

At this, Peridot chooses the worst time to open her mouth. “A-Amethyst… I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

 

Two whips are summoned, hand-in-hand.

 

**“Then why don’t you just LEAVE!”**

 

Battle commences as Amethyst throws her whip around the leg of Connie’s wheelchair. With the strength granted to her by her gem form, she lifts her captive up, forcing Connie and Peridot to bail mid-air

 

**“Admit it! If you didn’t exist, she wouldn’t have left us!”**

 

“Amethyst!” Peridot tries, taking Connie by the hand. Connie, still on the ground, is shaken, but does something she’d never thought she’d do.

 

“Amethyst!” Connie tries summoning a sword, but with only one arm available to her, and the other arm weighing her down, her form feels awkward, and nothing is called forth. “I don’t want to fight you!”

 

“Amethyst, please!”  Peridot rushes towards her, but ends up being picked up by the purple gem and tossed aside like trash.   


**“I wouldn’t want to fight me neither!”**

 

  Amethyst’s body curls up, whirls, spins into a ball and heads straight towards her, and Connie instinctively runs in the opposite direction; she places a bet that Amethyst is just trying to intimidate the two of them and get her to leave.

 

  Validating her theory, is the absence of any actual hits on Connie’s part, though that could also be explained through Amethyst’s emotionality interfering with her ability to land a solid hit.

 

  It’s not a bet she’s willing to wager her life on though, and she runs as fast as her weighed down body will take her, Peridot trailing them closely behind.

 

  “Amethyst!” Peridot tries again.

 

  The cracking of a whip, it’s sound reaches her before it’s act, and she instinctively makes a dive, whether her bet is right or not. Their little chase has taken them all the way back to the main canyon, the warp pad just in sight.

 

  “Amethyst, stop! This isn’t right!” Connie cries, pleading with her.

 

   **“I, don’t… CARE!”**

 

Amethyst’s whips attack erratically, without an enemy in sight, but as if her enemies were everywhere. She screams, cries, croaks with each crack of the whip, Connie stumbles on her back, landing on the warp pad. Her instincts scream at her to run, warp away; everything else in her screams at her to stay through it all.

 

  None of Amethyst’s whips of them actually hit her and Peridot, her only victims being the stray parts of a nearby injector hanging overhead. Smoke scatters everywhere, but Amethyst’s tears flow freely through it all.

 

  Amethyst stumbles forward, empty of everything. “I never asked for it to be this way... I never asked to be made!” She cries, cradling her head in pain.

 

  Connie tries to crawl towards her, her gem arm uncooperative. “Amethyst…”

 

  Peridot tackles Amethyst on the ground, ending the entire farce in one go. “Amethyst, please, no more! I can’t… I can’t bear to watch you like this!”

 

  More croaking and groaning litters the battlegrounds, though all three of them quickly realize the source is not either of them. They look up, and find it is the injector, now collapsing on Connie’s form.

 

  A violet force tackles her to safety; a pink bubble shields them both from harm.

 

  Smoke is thrown up as the injector collapses; when it clears up, Amethyst is absent over Connie’s form.

 

  “Where’s Amethyst!?” Peridot rushes over to her. Instinctively, they look at the warp pad, but find it decommissioned by the injector’s collapse.

 

  “I…” Connie coughs, as Peridot takes her hand, helping her up. “Her hole. She… she has to be there.”

 

  Stumbling on their feet, and through the wreckage, in a repeat of it all, Connie is right when they find Amethyst hiding from the two of them in her incubation hole.

 

  “A...Amethyst?” Connie tries forward.

 

  “Go away.” Amethyst gets in shakily. “I’m bad, and you shouldn’t be around me.”

 

  Her momentum shatters, was already shattered when she found her. Then she remembers Peridot; Connie started this dance, but she can’t finish it. But maybe Peridot can.

 

  “I don’t think she’ll talk to me.” Connie admits, dejected, resting her good arm on Peridot’s back and easing her forward.

 

  “Me?” Peridot whimpers, unsteady.

 

  Connie gives her a look somewhere between _‘You’re all we have,’_ and _‘I know you can do it.’_

 

  Tepidly, Peridot is careful entering Amethyst’s incubation hole; inside she finds the gem she would stay on Earth for, now wanting to bottle up and isolate herself from the outside world.

 

  “Amethyst?” Peridot tries.

 

  “Go away.” Amethyst sniffles. “If you knew what was up with me, you wouldn’t want to be around me.”

 

  “That’s… wrong.” Peridot tries to organize her words, sent into a jumble by all the chaos around her, “l always want to be around you, even when I objectively shouldn’t.”

 

  “Yeah, but that’s because you don’t understand.” Amethyst buries her head in her arms further. “Don’t you get it? I’m bad and you shouldn’t be around me. _Defective_.”

 

  Peridot winces, and looks back at Connie; she can tell she’s considering leaving Amethyst alone for the time being, but something gets her to continue closer to her.

 

  “I don’t think you’re any of those things.” Peridot tries.

 

  “But it’s true isn’t it? I’m physically _defective,_ like you said. Everyone wants to pretend that none of this,” she gestures around her, “ever happened. Everyone just thinks I’m a big mistake.” Amethyst chokes out.

 

  “No!”  


  Amethyst shuts her eyes, “You just keep saying that because you feel bad-”

 

  “I keep saying it, because I know you’re wrong!” Peridot interrupts her, getting Amethyst to peek out. “You seem to think that everything hinges on your status if you were somehow on Homeworld, that everything is contingent on ‘your Kindergarten,’” she gestures around her, “but Homeworld is physically light years away; they don’t matter anymore. “Everything about Homeworld was built, designed, and planned by gems who lived eons before us; we didn’t have anything to do with any of this!”

 

   _“A part of what makes life here on Earth for us so special versus Homeworld, is that we can be honest with our feelings Peridot.”_

 

“I…” Peridot flusters, “I know I can’t truly speak for Garnet or Pearl. But I do care about you Amethyst, more than you claim. You’d be the reason I’d choose to stay on Earth, if I had the choice.”

 

  Amethyst’s eyes briefly dart up, her arms do the same.

 

  “And… if I am using this term correctly…” She swallows, “I do believe I have a crush on you.”

 

  It flashes to Connie that it would have been more prudent for Garnet to also teach Peridot about timing.

 

  Amethyst’s arms let go. “What?”

 

  Peridot defensively shifts. “I do! I studied the dictionary definition, I compared/contrasted all synonyms of the term, I did several googol searches-”

 

  “Do you even know what that means?” Amethyst whispers, arms still curled around her body.

 

  Peridot looks as though she’s making herself smaller. “If what it means is the same as how it feels… then yes.”

 

  Amethyst’s eyes, blank, dart back to her lap, but she stares at Peridot through the crack between her arms, briefly raising her head, before sinking further. “Shit Peri.” She lets out a sound that’s a mix between a laugh and a sob. “Flirt with a girl while she’s down, why don’t you?”

 

  Peridot sinks further. “Did I do something wrong-”

 

  Amethyst breaks from her curling, and suddenly embraces her.

 

  Peridot flushes with color.

 

  “I’d probably punch out anyone else who tried this on me.” Amethyst lets out between tears.  “You’re an exception.”

 

  Peridot nervously shrinks. “Is that a bad thing?”

 

  Amethyst, through tears, lets out a choked laugh. “No Peri. It isn’t.”

  


oOoOoOo

 

  With the warp pad disabled, Amethyst takes lead in dragging their search party back home. That they’re no closer to their objective doesn’t hang on them; if the past few weeks of searching for Pearl hasn’t mutually exhausted them, the past hour of fighting Amethyst’s demons have, and they’re just happy to be able to enjoy each _other_ still.

 

  Train hopping serves as their way back home. Amethyst for some obscure reason Connie’s never bothered to ask is good with directions, so she’ll trust her assurances that this line will take them back home in a few hours or so.

 

  It’s strangely resemblant of that book she loved so much when she was much much younger, and her reading comprehension almost nil; _The No Home Boys._

 

  She’s surrounded by warmth, being in between the two of the gems as they lean against each other, the hay of the boxcar decidedly uncomfortable for them to sleep on, contrary to how it’s depicted in media. The door of the boxcar was left kicked open, granting them a view of the passing countryside.

 

  “I hated you, you know.” Amethyst whispers over to her once Peridot had opted to sleep the rest of the trip off. She wonders how Peridot even knows what sleep is, but she’s _exhausted_ , so she surmises she’s learned from Amethyst.

 

  Connie says nothing, instead grabbing at the passing landscape, mimicking the opening from _New Steel Armentalist_.

 

   “I hated you for taking Rose away from us, for taking Pearl away from us because she got all hung up on Rose. She was supposed to make everything better, she was supposed to know everything; it wasn’t fair that she dragged all of us into this mess, then jumped ship just cause she wanted to have you.”

 

  A weary sigh from Amethyst signals the end of her expose. “So there. Feel free to hate me back.”

 

  “I don’t hate you.”

 

  “I just admitted I hated your guts for half your entire life. I was always making excuses whenever you wanted to hang with me,” Amethyst looks over for any vindication, “I’m a shitty mom.”

 

  “Did Rose make you feel like you were nothing?” Connie asks instead.

 

  Amethyst turns, and a dry laugh escapes her lips. “Rose… she made you feel like you were… everything.” Her eyes water, and before she trembles, she wipes at her eyes.

 

  And a gentle head rests on her shoulder, trusting her, loving her.

 

  “Well…”

 

  “I think you’re pretty great.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> emotions. I hope. I have a hard time writing emotional scenes, because aspieness. Whoops. hope y'all enjoyed either way.
> 
> hoping to have next chapter out by sunday? eh. Pushing to the finish line here, so I can have Jailbreak in early september.
> 
> PS: if your friend who you have a crush on has a sudden breakdown, confessing to them probably isn't the way to go. Peridot is the only gem I could ever see pulling this off with genuine love and success.


	23. Lion: Straight to Video

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connie finds a different world in Lion's mane.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey remember when i said early september jailbreak would be out
> 
> i’ll stick to my promises when i stop being single and severely depressed ty very much

   _When the bright light ends, she might as well have witnessed a big fire. The grassy knoll chosen as their final stand had been scorched to ashes, it’s form now almost hot as magma._

 

_It was strange; the three of them were the only entities left in this area that had kept their original form. She didn’t understand what the point of it was, only that they were still alive, and that everyone else was gone._

 

_There were three survivors, but in that moment, dazed as they were, they were the only ones left on this scorched world. They scatter, wandering aimlessly amongst the ashes, crying for their fallen, walking through the dead._

 

_There is nothing more melancholic than to win or lose a battle. And yet it was as if all hope had been drained from that battlefield that day; the hazing aura that now envelops the world bears it’s teeth at her, whispering an inescapable mantra._

 

_You will not survive._

 

_You will not survive._

 

_“Why did I do it?”_

 

_She crumples lifelessly to the scorched earth, choking, choking choking-choking-_   


  
  


 

 

 

   **‘I can’t breathe!’**

 

_“Connie!”_

 

_She sputters out what useless air remains in her lungs, throat desperately clawing to breathe in oxygen. That the world around her seems to be composed entirely of monochrome almost misses her entirely, as she struggles for air, she sinks further and further outwards, falling out of the world-_

 

  “Unhand her you quadrupedal half-brained zeta-evolution clod!”   

 

  -entirely. Something smothers her, crushing her, weighing her down, blacking out her entire vision as all limbs available to her desperately try to throw whatever is on her _off._ But with only one good arm working, she can’t call on her immense strength.

 

  Fortunately for her… being alive, something drags her out from underneath it all, yanking her out with enough force to send her and her savior flying, crashing into her television stand. She briefly how much abuse her television monitors take on a yearly basis before landing, her good arm makes sure she hasn’t broken any bones, any skin, or any television sets, as she sucks in fresh air.

 

  “What happened…” Connie groans, irritated from the disruption of her sleep, in spite of her nightmare. Her eyes dart up to greet her savior, Peridot. Her attacker, Lion, rests snug her bed, claiming his prize.

 

  “Hey.”

 

  “Are you physically intact? Did your animal physically harm you in any-”

 

  “No, no. I’m fine Peridot.” Connie reassures her, thumping at her chest to indicate her health; she wonders if Peridot gets the message when she receives a scowl on Peridot’s end, and further scrutiny.

 

  “Why was Lion attempting to cease your respiratory functions? Why was he attacking you in such a primitive fashion? We need to isolate him, right-”

 

  “No, no.” Connie stands up, making sure to separate Peridot from Lion, who jumps off the bed and nuzzles her with his snout; the dichotomy of love and death she’s being taken through throws her in a loop, but she’ll accept Lion’s love nonetheless; it’s rare he’s ever this affectionate.

 

  “Why was Lion on top of you then?” Peridot asks, glaring her unspoken accusations at Lion.   

 

  “I’m… not sure.” Connie’s eyes dart over to Lion, as innocent-looking as he’s always been. “He’s never acted this way.” She presses her good fingers on her temple, shifting gears torwards induction. “It might be something important.”

 

  “Or it might just be another one of your unmanageable and disgusting biological cycles.”

 

  “True. But, my curiosity into Lion has always paid dividends. This might have something to do with mom.”  Her eyes dart back to Peridot. “Speaking of curiosity, why are you here?”

 

  “I was acquiring further Chee-Z Chaps for Amethyst, when I saw you were being suffocated and rushed to help.”

 

  “You two are doing okay?” She asks softly, memory of the Kindergarten still fresh.

 

  Peridot’s cheeks flush. “Yes. She’s currently obeying Garnet’s orders and sleeping the next two days off. Occasionally she wakes from her slumber and asks me for more food.”

 

  That’s… I’m glad.”

 

  Peridot wears an embarrassing smile she’s never worn before, that noone ever thought she’d wear before today. “I am too.”

 

  Seeing Peridot this happy warms her like watching those soppy romances on television and her visual novels play out; though she’d like to take a moment for herself to worry about her own romantic prospects as a magical shut-in, she has to return to the problem at hand.

 

  Returning to Lion, she gently nudges a stray hair from his mane back into place. “Lion, do you have something to show me?”

 

  A bashful grunt and a pudgy nudge from Lion answers her question as he raises a paw to drag her into his mane.

 

  “He’s suffocating you again!”  


  “No, no, I can breathe!” Her voice is muffled through his mane, surprisingly well-kept and sterile, given that they don’t do anything to maintain him. “Maybe he just wants affection?” She gets through his mane. Vision obscured, her footing suddenly gives way, and a soft thud announces his return to her bed, still smothering her.

 

  “It’s a trap!” Connie breathes out, as he suffocates her in his mane again. “An adorable trap!”

 

  This time, Peridot is there to grab her from behind and drag her away from Lion by force, the two stumble from her brief experiment, a failure by all accounts.

 

  “That didn’t work.” Connie sputters out magical fur.

 

  “I knew it, that thing is trying to kill-”

 

  “Lion…” Connie keeps Peridot aside, approaching him again, “why are you so insistent with cuddling me with your mane?”

 

_That the world around her seems to be composed entirely of monochrome almost misses her entirely, as she-_

 

  “Lion… do you have a pocket dimension inside your mane?” She comes to realize.

 

  Lion confirms her hypothesis with a grunt, proudly bearing his mane towards her and inviting her to confirm it herself.

 

  “A pocket dimension?” Peridot asks.

 

  “Of course. How else could he store a shield in his mane? How else, could he be able to make portals, that render traveling distances almost useless?” She elaborates, shaking her right foot uncontrollably. “You see what I mean that curiosity into Lion pays dividends?”  


  “What’s a dividend?”

 

  “Uh… I’ll explain economic systems and financial institutions to you when I don’t have a pocket dimension to explore.”

 

  “I will be waiting, with anticipation then.” Peridot accepts, a tad more nasal than normal.

 

  “And I am, grateful, that you have accepted my offer.” Connie retorts, making sure to exaggerate her voice as much as she can.

 

  A grunt from Lion, as riveting this Peridot’s new found attachments must be for him, it’s not why he’s here. It looks like she’ll be spending tonight sorting out some magical problem left for her by him. Whether or not it has anything to do with her mother is of no concern; she can only hope this won’t be another traumatic experience for her like these past couple weeks have been, but at this point in her life, it wouldn’t be surprising to Connie Quartz.

 

  “I’m going to test it out.” She tells Peridot, though as much as she’d like to just trust that she’d watch over her, these types of issues are best made literal with her. “Watch over me… and make sure I come out.”

 

  “Understood. If this is some ploy to swallow her whole to feed your primitive biological functions,” she glares at Lion, with little physical presence to back up her words, “so help me I’ll-”

 

  Lion growls dismissively, resting a steady paw on Connie’s shoulder. His mane presents itself anew, so furry, fluffy and so very demanding that her hypothesis be confirmed.

 

  “Okay.” Connie grins. “I’m ready.” She rests her head in his mane, trusting he won’t suffocate her again; a gentle nudge with a firm paw is enough to send her sinking. Made difficult, when her arm was still stiff and heavy, but she was sinking, and sinking, and sinking, and-

 

  Her vision glows with pink, and as she falls into, through, past his mane, she finds herself passing through the barrier, and finds the piece of the puzzle ripped from her hands minutes prior.

 

  The world around her flows in shades of pink. Runs in shades of pink, functions in shades of pink. A blushing savanna is where she finds herself taken, though despite the foliage around her, _there isn’t any air-!_

 

  “You were inside the Lion’s mane!” Peridot gawks, glowing at her. “You passed through his body, as if there was no physical barrier! You were right!” Peridot’s eyes go starry, matching hers.

 

  “I was in two dimensions at once…”

     

  Her third entry into Lion’s mane is marked by more preparation; a breathing exercise learned from Pearl will help her manage her oxygen better. Though the inside of Lion’s mane is vast, little marks the vast world around her, though this is not without purpose. Instead of distractions, her eyes are called to the center island that juts out from the grassy sea, where a single tree stands.

 

  It’s a considerable distance, and finds herself returning to the physical world once more for air. That this new world was never meant to accommodate human curiosity does not deter her, and she knows her curiosity will soon be rewarded as the distance of the single island fades quickly.

 

  The grassy sea breaks at the isle, her eyes and curiosity find eight pieces of note, waiting for her.

 

  1. A single treasure chest sporting an antiquated design lost to the 18th century. It’s contents hidden, it’s key, lost.
  2. Tattered and worn, an old flag bearing the standard of her mother.
  3. As expected, her mother’s shield.
  4. ~~Her mother’s… sword. Physical. Real.~~
  5. Oversized and worn, like everything else left for her in this realm, a black shirt, with the design of
  6. A gem, bubbled, and inactive. Bismuth, it seems to be. It calls to her.
  7. A photo. Of her mother. **And noone else.**
  8. Video cassette.



  


  Written on the video cassette; _For Steven._

 

  Written on the video cassette, **FFFooorrr Sssttteeevvveeennn**.

 

  Written on the video cassette, For

  


  Written on the video cassette

  


  Written

  
  
  


  video cassette

  


**Written on the video cassette, For Steven.**

 

  

  


  air? isn’ t that important?

  
  
  


  Yes, she needs to breathe.

 

  Her lungs tighten, reminding her that as a half-gem, she still needs oxygen to live. The tightness in her chest jolts her back to life, video cassette in _(her good)_ hand, and she dives back into the grassy sea, hoping that the seafloor will get her intent, and spit her back out into the physical world.

 

  Before she falls out of Lion’s mane, she leaves herself a mental note to investigate that bismuth-looking gem once she’s done with this video cassette.

 

  The cold, hard woodworking floor is there to receive her coldly, and the first to greet her return to the physical realm is as expected, Peridot.

 

  “I’m alive!” She confirms upon arrival, eyes wide open and gasping for air.

 

  “Was the Lion’s pocket dimension… walkable?” Peridot asks, looking over Connie for any injuries.

 

  Connie shakes her head, standing back up is difficult with a VHS in one hand, the other heavy and nigh immobile, but she manages, with a boost from Peridot.

 

  “What is that?” Peridot raises a curious eye to her loot.

 

  “Something I need to watch, _right now_.”

 

  “But you already have it in your hands.” Peridot asks, reminding Connie she doesn’t know how video cassettes are, and prompting her to make a mental note to add it on the neverending list of _things she needs to teach Peridot when this entire Pearl crisis is over between them._

  

  The gems’ inability to get the latest model of television as Connie always recommends actually pays off for her, given her set is a model from the early 2000’s, when VHS tapes were still enough of a thing to warrant most television sets having them. Still not worth having constant static and lower resolution on most of the games Steven loaned her.

 

  “What kind of primitive loading mechanism is this?” Peridot gawks as Connie pushes the casette in, jamming in play as soon as it’s loaded.

 

  She suddenly remembers her exhaustion from having explored all that distance with a paperweight of an arm, and plops down on the bed behind her to watch, Peridot joining her. Nausea and flux take up her throat, her skin becomes clammy with sweat and a panic that seems to just have arrived out of nowhere.

 

   **Static.**

 

**“What are you doing?”**

 

  “Who was that?” Peridot asks, Connie locked in her now roiling nausea.

 

  She… she shouldn’t be watching this. Shouldn’t. Shouldn-

 

   ***chuckles* “Greg made a friend.”**

 

**(the seagull squawks and flies off)**

 

**(why are you watching this?)**

 

**“what? ah!” *panting***

 

***laughs* “go on…”**

  


**“sorry, i’m getting stage fright here.”**

  


**“tell us about yourself”**

  


(stop)

  


   **“well let’s see here    my name is ____ no no no this is all wrong”**

  


**(static)**

  


**“okay go they call me strums guitar mr universe get ready baby youre gonna have the coolest dad this side of the cosmos mimics guitar riff press the button rose”**

**_oh right was that the right one a colorful stream washes over the screen_ **

 

**_uh maybe_ **

 

**_oh what does this one do_ **

 

**_tv static crackles cue star iris over the screen_ **

 

**_greg is seen on the beach playing the guitar_ **

  
  
  


**_“Isn't it remarkable,_ ** **_Steven_ ** **_? This world is full of so many possibilities. Each living thing has an entirely unique experience. The sights they see, the sounds they hear. The lives they live are so complicated... a-and so simple. I can't wait for you to join them._ ** **_Steven_ ** **_, we can't both exist. I'm going to become half of you. And I need you to know that every moment you love being yourself, that's me, loving you and loving being you. Because you're going to be something extraordinary. You're going to be a human being.”_ **

 

  The television short-circuits. Something snaps, the air, the windows, her eardrums, everything is shattered, blasting decibel after decibel of volume into the beach house, shattering everything glass, knocking over everything unsecured.

 

  “Connie…” Peridot stares at her blankly, “why did Rose Quartz… know... Ste-”

 

  Peridot crinkles her brow, her eyes bloodshot through her visor. Through her asthetic snout of a nose, periphery green bile flows through out the orifices, Peridot choking and gagging on the bile fluid.

  
  


  Wait, what did they just watch?

  


Her memory is gone. Going. Going to be gone. Gone to be going. Going to be gone to be going and she can’t-

 

  She’s been here before, and she needs to write something, anything down before she forgets!

 

  Pen. P-pencil? p a  per ?/?

  
  


  Two words.

  


**s.sTeven, Momm?????????????????????    video!**

 

  

 

  The universe shifts, readjusts.

 

   _“Connie… your nose is bleeding.”_

  
  
  
  
  


  there’s  lot of blood on her note, blood-blood-blood-blood-blood its important very important where to put it

 

  shredder garbage sink ocean eat eat eat eat

 

 

 

  In bookshelf it goes! yay!

  
  


**NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN NEVER SEE IT AGAIN**

  
  
  


**it hurts doesn’t it**

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


  “Connie? Connie!”

 

  She wakes to a splitting pain, one too many inconvenient rousings in the past month and so. But it isn’t as if she has any time to ruminate on her misfortune as of lately; that Amethyst and Garnet are panicked and desperately agitating her body, having fallen from her loft, is enough for her to get back up, in an effort to reassure them of her health.

 

  “Your nose dude!” Amethyst demands of her. “What happened?”

 

  “I…” Connie croaks, throat weak strained. “I’m not sure.”

 

  Once she’s up and back on her feet, she notices the state of the house; disheveled, glass shattered everywhere, with anything not strapped down to the foundation knocked over and jumbled.

 

  “What happened here?” Connie asks back, demanding answers.

 

  A lone finger is raised by Garnet, directed to the skies above.

 

  Approaching, a lone structure, verdant green and as alien as the stars.

 

  A spacecraft. Carrying with it, Homeworld.

 

**“Oh no.”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> might have The return out soon? I already have 3k words for it, it's just getting more difficult to write at this point without being distracted by other ideas or real life.


	24. The Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new threat arrives in Beach City.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i had most of this chapter written before i even started last chapter

  “What are we going to do?” Amethyst asks. All eyes fall on Garnet as the war draws nearer and nearer, though none of them expect her to have any answers. They’re one gem down against what would be Homeworld’s elite; it would be a disgrace to the memory of Rose Quartz to call their forces a remnant, for there was nothing that remained of her once invincible army.

 

  Connie and Peridot are stable, whatever that means for what they’ve both figured might be their last meeting together. It doesn’t mean anything really; they don’t have any cards on the table, save for outright retreating at least until Homeworld catches up to them.

 

  Amethyst’s fists are balled up in her hair. Garnet is worn. Peridot isn’t sure what to make of what may turn out to be the end of her little escapade on Earth, and Connie’s fuse is sarting to get short from the lack of a plan on their end, though she logically knows that they  _ won’t  _ have a plan in time for when Homeworld’s decided to stop looking menacing and actually do something.

 

__ “We don’t have anything.” Garnet bluntly admits, noone else capable of doing so. Beneath it all, is an unspoken truth; they failed. Pearl was gone still, and all they could hope for is that Pearl would be okay. That she would escape the oncoming desolation Homeworld was to bring.

 

  A sudden knocking at the door jolts Connie from her thoughts. With Garnet frozen, Peridot pacing around furiously and uselessly, and Amethyst seething in the love seat, Connie figures it might do some good for her to wheel around a bit, as strange a door call might be after Beach City’s received a sonic boom strong enough to shatter windows-

 

  “Connie?”   
  


  Steven had been at the confines of her mind, at risk of being pushed off like the rest of her sanity from the stress of the past few weeks. Having him embrace her isn’t exactly an unwelcomed gesture, but it hadn’t been what she’d been expecting to witness.

 

  “Steven?” Connie blankly asks while Steven scatters her with a smorgasbord of questions, asking where she’s been, admitting his worry for her sake, asking why Garnet called, what exactly that green hand in the sky was, whether it was okay to think it was cool or not, what happened to her arm, why she was in a wheelchair-

 

  “It’s… a long story.” Connie whimpers, suddenly closing her eyes. Involuntarily, hot tears form, earning her Steven’s worry.

 

  “Connie…” Steven asks, offering her his napkin pack.

 

  “I’m so sorry.” Connie whispers. “I should have told you-”

 

  Steven shakes his head. “It’s okay. I’m here now. I can help you.”

 

_ “Alright schtu-ball, let’s get Connie on boa-” _

  
  


**_Who are you?_ **

 

**** “M-mr Universe!” Connie straightens in her wheelchair, desperate to salvage what’s left of the stoic hero she was so desperate to idealize, but ended up turning into a nightmare in Garnet’s case. “W-why are you here?” She wants to turn around and… sternly ask Garnet why she got Steven involved in all of this, but doesn’t want Steven or his father to see them like this.

 

  “Garnet said you were in danger,” Steven admits, “and she said that you didn’t have a ride out and that you might need someplace to stay and that you might be hurt and you might lose everyone you-”

 

  “Garnet, why!?” Connie suddenly outbursts, pushing Steven off and demanding answers from who apparently her leader. 

 

  “Connie, your mothers really care for you.” Steven’s father explains, as Garnet walks over to them. They’d only met a handful of times beforehand in mostly unmemorable encounters, unintended as side-effects of him being Steven’s main method of transport. He’d introduced himself as Greg Universe, and she took him as the kind of guy Amethyst might get along with, and whom Pearl might stab as a warning if he ever tried coming near. “Garnet explained that the space-alien stuff you guys were dealing with is getting pretty dangerous. I’m not sure whether I believe most of it myself but she sounded serious.”

 

  “Garnet always sounds serious!” Connie protests. Garnet…” Connie demands answers, Steven right beside her as Garnet takes a knee to talk at her level, “I can’t leave.”   
  


  Steady, Garnet approaches her with warm, delicate, yet firm hands. “Connie, I know you don't think we trust you. I know more often than not we treat you like a human child. But the truth is, we rely on you. No matter who you are, who you become, you’ll always be the force that, binds us, reminds us why we fight. No matter where you’ll go, you’ll be with us.”

 

  “So you don’t think you’ll come back.” Connie’s voice comes out as a shaky whisper.

 

  “No.”

 

  “Why are you being so honest with me now?” She tries to stifle a tear.

 

  “Because when you believe in yourself, you can tell a lie from a galaxy off.” Garnet phases off her glasses. “And I just couldn’t bear to leave you with one last lie.”

 

  At this, she embraces Garnet one last time, vision clouded, unable to keep her arms from shaking as she does so. 

 

  “Is this goodbye?” She finally has the courage to ask.

 

  “I don’t know.”

 

oOoOoOo

 

  “We did everything we could.” Garnet’s voice is soft, only holding together against Homeworld’s eclipse. That she’s now alone in having fought Homeworld before nearly shatters her.

 

_ No. Remember what you said. Remember who you are. _

 

  “Where’s Pearl?” Amethyst’s voice is a whisper, without anger.

 

  “Safe.” Garnet hopes, giving her a reassuring hand. Peridot stares blankly, lifelessly against the return, wordless to it’s arrival.

 

  “Peridot.” Garnet gets her attention, though when she turns to face her, she is slow to do so. “Stay behind us. Amethyst and I will take them head on.”

 

  “What if you lose?” Peridot is blunt.

 

  “Then…” Homeworld’s star shines brightly; it hangs over all stars in the Milky Way oppressively, as it had even before Earth was found. “You’ll be going home.”

 

oOoOoOo

 

  “My arm was shattered on impact.” Connie drones on, retelling the collection of her experiences ever since her silence with Steven to distract her from the fact she was leaving her only family behind. The back of Greg’s van is jampacked with enough equipment to run a music concert, alongside other memorabilia from an era of music long past, yet fresh in memory. Cramped, and unsuited for passengers,  _ (though thankfully with enough space for her wheelchair,) _ but the distractions are helpful for Connie and Steven, who’d elected to stay in the back with her to distract her from the fact she was leaving her only family behind.

 

  “The doctors had to monitor me in come. I was comatose for days.” She can’t be bothered to put detail in her words while her blood’s in a roil. “Most of my bones were broken, but because I was a gem, they grew back really quickly. Only exception was this.”

 

  Connie makes a point to unwrap some of the bandages covering her right arm, the skin now turned murky pink and still jutting with the sharp edges of rose quartz. Steven makes an effort to marvel at the biological horror, Connie laughs and tells him to go right ahead. 

 

  “It’s so heavy.” Connie grumbles. “I’m useless with it.”

 

_ Not like you were much use before, driving away Pearl- _

 

__ “It’s sorta like the automail Ellie gets in New Steel Armentalist.” Steven admits, careful not to idolize Connie’s arm.

 

  “Yeah.” Connie grumbles. “At least she could do shit with that arm.”   
  


  “Hey, language.” Greg scolds her, smiling nonetheless, understanding that most kids like her start cursing by middle school except she wasn’t normal and it took Steven and overhearing the Cool Kids a couple of times for her to learn. “Sheesh, you’d think if something dangerous were happening, that the roads would be more clogged up.”

 

  “Like I said before.” Connie resumes. “Pearl’s gone. Tried finding her. Didn’t.” Even one-word responses are getting exhausting, and she lies herself down on what she hopes is some sort of comforter for long van rides, and not used for anything else. She didn’t get much if any sleep last night before her confusing visits into Lion’s pocket dimensions, and if anything, sleep will help her pass the time. “Homeworld. Here. In the sky.”

 

  Steven acknowledges her exhaustion, opting to peek out at the extraterrestrial invader. “They really missed a great opportunity with which finger their starships could have extended.”

 

  Connie scoffs. “Don’t think that sign means anything back on Homeworld Steven.”

 

  “I’m just saying!” Steven innocently asserts. “What do you think’ll happen once Homeworld touches down on Earth?”

 

  “Conquest.” Connie bluntly states. “War. Pillaging. Devastation. They’ll shatter Garnet, Amethyst, maybe Peridot. So I’ll never see them again.” The air in the van runs cold. “They’ll find Pearl. Shatter her too. Find me. Shatter me too.”

 

  The acceleration of the van considerably slows in the midst of her explanation.

 

  “Kill you for helping me. Kill everyone you know. Won’t stop until humans are gone. Dead. In the ground. Extinct.”

 

  “Whoa whoa,” Greg interrupts her for a bit, “this is some pretty heavy stuff you’re talking about here. How about some tunes?”

 

  Steven looks at her with a look of visible concern on his face, lying down right beside her. “Hey, you okay?” 

 

  Steven was there for her. Wanted to be there for her. Wouldn’t it make sense for her to do the same for them?

 

  “You don’t understand Mr. Universe. These… aliens,” Connie slows down, trying not to overwhelm Greg with jargon, “I know them close to firsthand! They won’t stop until we’re all dead, or until the planet’s destroyed!”

 

  “What?” Greg tries a nervous laugh.

 

  She doesn’t know what she has to gain from standing up and trying to explain a thousand years of alien history by yelling at Steven’s dad, but damned if she’ll try. “I know it sounds ridiculous, but ask Steven! He’s seen magic, and what gems are firsthand! We’re Crystal Gems… at least I’m supposed to be one, but,” Connie groans, “I’m stuck here, while I’m going to lose them, all because of  _ me _ .”

 

  “I’m not sure where you’re getting that from-” Greg invites her to explain, to spill.

 

  “You don’t.” Connie closes. “If you would, you wouldn’t want to take me in.” 

 

  “I know you really care a lot for your mothers! But they told us to keep you safe.” Greg points protests.

 

  There was just a temporary flaw in her logic. Steven wasn’t capable of much beyond his being an all-around amazing human being, which wouldn’t mean much in the face of a grand invasion by Homeworld. Thus, Steven shouldn't fight Homeworld. By this logic, Connie, whom the gems outclassed in nearly every category translatable to statistics, also couldn’t, and shouldn’t fight Homeworld.

 

  But maybe she could offer up one last triumph. An ace in the hole. At the very least, a trying chance if her hypothesis turned out to be correct.

 

  “I need to keep them safe!”

 

  She’s hyperventilating now, she doesn’t build up on emotions in high stress situations like this but today is a day of exceptions it seems. Instinctively, she looks to the backdoors of the van, wondering if she can just bust them open and use the bubble to escape safely without much property damage on Greg’s part.

 

  “Dad.” Steven’s voice is shaky. “You need to stop the car. Right now.”

 

  An anxious breath or two, before a  switch is flicked on the dashboard, sending off the clicking sound of a turn signal. The van pulls over to the side of the empty outlet out of Beach City.

 

  “Are you really serious about-”

 

  She doesn’t hear much else on Greg’s end when she’s tackling the backdoors of the van, spilling outside and into the rising night. The world outside’s turned an oppressive aura of green to march the color scheme of their invader. Her lungs choke her from built-up anxiety, she doesn’t make it far out until she stumbles and lands on her shattered arm, feeling several of the shards crack on impact.

 

  She’s choking, doesn’t have a plan, doesn’t know what she’s doing except crawling back on the asphalt all the way to Beach City with a busted arm. With enough spur on her end, she might be able to make it just in time for her to watch Garnet’s shattering and confirm how much of an idiot she is-

 

  “Connie! Wait!” She can hear Steven running after her and it makes her just want to sink into the asphalt.

 

  “Steven… I’m sorry.” She whimpers, turned into a mess by everything, really. “I… I don’t know what to do, I’m confusing you, I don’t have a plan-”

 

  “That doesn’t matter! What matters is that I  _ like _ you.”

 

  A part of Connie doesn’t believe him, and a part of Connie wants to just become one with the asphalt. Fuse with it, if necessary, anything to just disappear right now.

 

  First aid kit in hand, Steven rolls Connie over so he can get a good look at her injuries; she wants to tell him that it doesn’t matter and that she’ll just heal up good as new by the time she’s made it back to Beach City but her complaint is rated nil when Steven’s disinfectant causes her leg scratch to wince considerably.

 

  “You’re so confusing you know…” Steven mumbles under his breath, as he disposes the cloth as a biohazard. “You cut me off for a month to protect me, and here I find you literally molding into the ground.” He teases, trying to draw attention off of his flush.

 

  “I’m sorry.”

 

  “Don’t be. I know you’re trying to keep me safe. But how about for now, you just me worry about you?”

 

  “I can’t-OW!” Connie protests when he dabs the next wound with disinfectant. “What is that made of, it really friggin hurts!”

 

  “It’s supposed to help you.” Steven innocently looks at her with worry.

 

  Connie rolls her eyes, trying to get him to stop worrying about the sake of a half-gem. “Is this what it feels like for someone to worry about you?” She teases.

 

  “Worse.” Steven quietly admits, Connie realizing the hole she’d dug for herself.

 

  “I just wanted to protect you.”   
  


  There aren’t any wounds for left for him to treat. The first aid kit is put away, the biohazards disposed of. His hands disinfected, Steven offers a crying shoulder for her to rest on, one which she gratefully takes, leaning on him for the time they have left together. “Just stay with me as long as you can. Talk to me.”

 

  “It won’t be long.” Connie admits.

 

  “I know.” Steven sighs. “You said you didn’t have a plan. You want me to talk you through it?”

 

  “I can’t just dump every single one of my internalized problems on you Steven.” Connie protests.

 

  “You’re the one who has to go through everything.” Steven counters. “The least I can do is listen. _ I want to be part of your universe. _ ”

 

  Oh she’s such a fool, isn’t she?

  “I…” She doesn’t let herself hesitate, she needs, needed someone to talk to for so long. “I don’t know how to get back. What am I going to do,” Connie chuckles at her plight, “wheel back to Beach City?”

 

  As if on arrival, she feels a furry paw nuzzle her head of hair upon voicing her obstacle. The two of them sputter incredulously at Lion’s timing, wondering whether Lion had been following this entire time.

 

  “Be safe.” He wipes a single tear from his visage, as Connie mounts her ride back to Beach City, “Or I’m gonna run out of friends.”

 

  She isn’t sure what to say here, but there’s something that’s always gnawed on her since she’d met Steven. If she could look him in the eye and tell him that she was coming back no matter what, she wouldn’t feel any compulsion to say the damned words. Even if she doesn’t understand what the words mean, or what the consequences might entail, she might as well say it now.

  
  


_   “Be my boyfriend. When I come back.” _

  
  


oOoOoOo

 

  She’s touched back to Beach City just in time for the battlecraft’s descent. Beach City is in a moratorium of chaos, traffic wrecks and pileups around the city, impressive given it’s miniscule population. It’s akin to the aftermath of a riot; aside from nearly every window in the town shattered and decommissioned, several fires have flared up in the city premises, hastily unsecured utilities running freely and liberally, deserted by their owners. 

 

  Those unable to escape the coming onslaught choose between staring at their demise in the sky, and panicking, running around town screaming obscenities about the arrival of the reptilian race and come to think of it, there was just one yellow-haired individual choosing the latter option.

 

  The cool kids nearly hit Lion dipping out of Beach City onto the freeway, the mayor’s advertisement of a van lies toppled, blocking an entire intersection still blaring out the familiar tune demanding Mayor Dewey’s reelection.

 

  Beach City might be gone, but damned if she will if she’ll just let the rest of Earth fall in it’s wake.

 

  “Hurry up! Faster!” Connie demands of Lion, who growls defiantly in concurrence.

 

  It’s when they touchdown on the sand, when they see Sugilite, charging up her flail in an obvious last-ditch attempt at shooting down the damned warcraft before it lands. Sugilite’s display of sheer strength might shatter worlds, but the the warcraft displays no interest in her display, continuing it’s path without evasive maneuvers.

 

  “You want some!?” Sugilite taunts. “Come and get some!”

 

  The flail releases it’s striker, now projectile as a final display of defiance. A sonic boom pops in the air, signalling the futility of the attack.

 

  The sonic boom of the flail was around half as strong as the warcraft’s arrival, and as such, what might have won a war in a previous era is shrugged off of the spacecraft without so much as a dent.

 

  She needs to get over there. Now. 

 

  “Lion! Dismount!” She doesn’t dare trip over her own legs in a feat of nervousness. Nervous that she might not be able to pull this off. Nervous that she might not be able to help them. Nervous that this might have all been for nothing.

 

  “Lion, stand back. If I don’t come back, Steven’s going to need a new girlfriend.”

 

  Lion growls in approval as Connie sets off, the starcraft accelerating it’s descent. Whipping up sand, rendering the earth shaking, the world outside of it inaudible.

 

  “Peridot!” Connie screams over it all.

 

__ Peridot straightens, hesitating before instinctively turning towards the source of the anomaly. “Connie?” 

 

  Sugilite is reached, Garnet and Amethyst promptly ejected from the desperate fusion as a result.

 

  “You came back!” Amethyst cries, that what’s recently happened between the two of them hasn’t gone to waste.

 

  “Connie!” Garnet screams over the chaos, “stay behind us!”

 

  She’ll readily agree to that command, taking her position behind Amethyst and Garnet, ready to protect her with their lives. Peridot sheepishly follows Connie, asking her what she thinks will happen now.

 

  The hand warship touches down just above the shoreline, screeching to a halt, hovering in place. It’s form rearranges, the pointer finger reaching long enough to carve into the sands below, implanting itself into the Earth.

 

  “We’re going to win.” Connie answers her, earning a smile from Amethyst. “No matter what.”

 

__ From a blinding light atop; four figures emerge. 

 

  The first possesses the physique of a warrior; her skin is tangerine, her eyes amber, her gem located where a nose would be. She stands as tall as the sun itself, her hair is a beige white. Her cape flows freely in the wind, framing her as leader.

 

  The second, a Peridot. The same one from her telepathic dream months earlier; square hair, shoulder pads, with her gemstone located in her left eye. 

 

  The third, a Ruby, standing to attention. Similar to their Ruby, yet so, so different. Appearance wise, her gemstone was flat on her chest; her eyes protected with a visor much like Peridot’s.

 

  The fourth, Lapis.

 

  “That’s them alright.” The Homeworld Peridot points at them accusingly with her limb enhancer fingers, trying to get the leader’s attention. “They’re the ones who keep breaking my machines.”

 

  Peridot stifles a word, letting Amethyst pull her back.

 

  The leader narrows at them dismissively. “This is it?”

 

  The Homeworld Peridot fumes. “Jasper, they keep interfering with my work!”

 

  Jasper ignores her pleading, stepping up to evaluate the supposed threats. She lets out a dismissive sigh. “Why they bothered sending reinforcements,” Jasper narrows at the Ruby, “is beyond me. Looks like another waste of our time.” She sighs. “Ruby. Bring the Lapis over.”

 

  The Ruby complies immediately, grabbing Lapis’s hand and almost inciting Connie to project her sword and jump at them;she reminds herself she needs to gain a better hold on the tactical situation. Like Pearl would have done.

 

_ Like Pearl taught her. _

 

  Lapis yanks her hand from the Ruby’s grip, opting to approach Jasper on her own, upon meeting Connie’s gaze, she gasps.

 

_ “Lapis!”  _ Connie begs with her eyes.

 

_ “Connie!” _ __   
  


__ “This is their base?” Jasper demands, grabbing hold of Lapis with enough force to make her jolt; she tries breaking her hold, but she can’t. She isn’t a physical gem, unlike Jasper.

 

  “...Yes.” Lapis tries not to look at Connie.

 

  “You need to leave, immediately!” Garnet demands.

 

  “Yeah, step off!” Amethyst spits at them.

 

  The four would-be invaders take their first steps on Earth’s soil; the warnings of the Crystal Gem remnants completely unheeded. 

 

  “And neither of you saw Rose Quartz?” Jasper demands of them. Her reception remains silent however, refusing to dignify her slight against them with a response. “Oh, what a shame. I'd hoped to meet her. I was looking forward to beating her into the ground!” With every word, Jasper’s disappointment grows; war radiates from her aura, her  _ potential _ as the purpose of all quartz gems.

 

  “But this is all that’s left of her army?” Jasper narrows at them dismissively. “Some puny, overcooked runt,” Amethyst tries to make herself larger, “and this shameless display?” Garnet balls her gauntlets.

 

  Jasper’s scrutiny turns towards Peridot, who shrinks under her gaze. “And you? You were the peridot lost during the preparatory staging, weren’t you?”

 

  The Homeworld Peridot’s eyes widen at Jasper’s deduction. “Facet-2F5L...”

 

__ Peridot sweats,  _ sweats, _ panicking and throwing up the diamond insignia as a sign of her loyalty/neutrality. “Cut-5XG! I was…” She briefly glances towards Garnet for approval, before sputtering, “captured. Upon arrival. I was… ambushed, and my limb enhancers were confiscated.”

 

  The Homeworld Peridot’s eye is cold, calculating, so much like Peridot’s eyes when she first arrived on Earth. Their eyes were unalike now. “I’ll take note of your incompetence in my reports.” 

 

  Peridot looks as if she’s trying to curl herself into a ball.

 

  “And this?” Jasper points at Connie. Gems couldn’t breathe _ (Jasper especially considering she had a gem for an aesthetic nose,)  _ but it was as if Jasper was breathing down her throat. “What is that?”

 

  “Apparently, one of the organic life forms on this planet.” The Homeworld Peridot explains. 

 

  “She’s just a human!” Lapis desperately pleads with Jasper. “She isn’t a threat at all, she isn’t one of them!”

 

  “I know what a human is.” Jasper brushes her off. It’s mildly confusing that Jasper knows what humans are; but maybe Homeworld kept records from the planets they colonized, despite their general disdain for organic life. 

 

  Jasper sighs, dejected. “You don’t need us for this. Yellow Diamond shouldn’t have even bothered assigning us extra muscle…” She turns to the Ruby present. “Take the Peridot with us. And once she’s done with her,” she notifies the Homeworld Peridot, “just blast them with the ship.” She orders, before turning her back on them and looking into the distance.

 

  They weren’t worth her time even.

 

  “Yes m’am!” The ruby obeys, running up to Peridot, distanced from the Crystal Gems. 

 

  Peridot, though shaky, acquiesces as the ruby takes her into captivity. Unsure, she takes one last look at her former captors, for any sign of dejection, anger, betrayal, anything that might help to make the separation easier. 

 

  Amethyst especially.

 

  But for a moment, Peridot had done the impossible; she could read Garnet, through her visor, through everything.

 

_ ‘Goodbye.’ _

 

  The Homeworld Peridot sighs, but acquiesces to Jasper. “Fine.” Her mechanical fingers form a holo-screen from where she can control the warship proper; the ship whirs to life and raises from her post. It’s form rearranges into attack position: a pointing finger.

 

  Garnet and Amethyst panic. Lapis tries to plead with her captors, and Peridot can’t bring herself to watch. 

 

  The ship’s propulsion is enough to shake the Earth itself, sending up sand and wind. Their potency in distraction is miniscule here; nothing can distract them from the death staring them straight in their faces.

 

  The ship’s pointer finger charges some sort of blaster weapon, at this, Garnet breaks.

 

  “Connie, get out of here!” 

 

  She already knows what the answer would be. “No!”

 

  “I won’t let you risk your life!” Garnet pleads with her. 

 

  Her feet struggle to stand upright under the elements being thrown at her. Against it all, Peridot looks back one last time.

 

  “This is my home! You’re my family, my friends! All of you,  **no matter what** !”

 

  “Firing.”

 

  The warship fires the death blow; against it all Connie charges. 

 

**_“You started out learning how to fight for the people you care about. Now, you can protect them too.”_ **

 

  She needs to be right about her theory. Otherwise the warship will vaporize them all into ashes.

 

  A gem weapon is supposed to be innate. Personal, intimate, composed of what philosophers of the mind have termed ‘raw feels.’ But as important as the inheritance of her mother’s sword became to her, such emotional attachment was learned. Acquired, developed over the course of a year of training and missions. 

 

  “ _ The ability to wield magic is inherent in all gems, due to their intense concentration of potential.” Pearl explains, Connie listening with rapture. “But gems are designed, designated, cut in ways that determine what we can physically be all our lives; this extends to the ability to wield magic, as well.” _

 

_   “So… it’s like we’re wielding elements.” Connie surmises, to which Pearl shakes her head.  _

 

_   “Magic is the manifestation of the energy of life. And by extension, how we wield magic becomes an extension of our innermost reality.” Pearl corrects. “A reality which we can choose to take into our own hands. Amethyst was purposed as a gem of  _ **_war_ ** _ , of raw strength. But because of the way she lives…” Pearl sighs, “her magic morphs, alters alongside her. This is why shapeshifting is secondhand nature for her; because of the erratic,  _ **_unfocused_ ** _ way she chooses to live. _

 

_   My purpose is for  _ **_utility_ ** _. My holograms, my inventory… everything about me is designed, meticulously crafted to make me more useful to other gems.” Pearl falters, awkward on the subject of herself. _

 

_   “But you grew beyond that.” Connie glows. _

 

_   Pearl, though unsure, warms at her student’s admiration. “Yes. Yes I did.” _

 

**“I-I’m a Crystal Gem too!”** She charges.

 

  She’s  **_formless_ ** . Easily shatterable, yet always resilient. Always reforming, never formed.

 

  “I won’t let you take anyone away from me!” She screams, as she hits the blast head on.

 

  Her gemstone bursts with light; from her navel, forms a singular shield, glowing and radiant with her mother’s standard. Large enough to cover all three of their forms, and strong enough to keep the blast at bay, protecting all three of them from harm.

 

  It was three gambles in total, each dependent on the other. One, that her magical _potential_ would manifest as **_projection_** **_magic,_** the form of magic that temporarily solidified _potential_ into the material world. Virtually unused in Homeworld’s ranks, due to the rigid stratification of all forms of magic, though exceedingly rare in the ranks of fusions serving in her mother’s army during the rebellion.

 

  Two; that she could use her  **_projection magic_ ** to lighten the load on her arm; to rearrange the gemstone material in her arm into a usable, wieldable form.

 

__ Her arm burns, singes, the smell of burnt hair fresh in the air. She’s channeled an entire country’s worth of magical energy into said limb alone to achieve the desired result; a right arm that can actually function.

 

  A gasp on Jasper’s end; her display must be enough to grab her attention, but it’s all she can do for now. The channeling of magical energy’s drained her entirely, but her third gambit, that she would wield her mother’s shield, holds.

 

  It’s all she can ask for; any more would fall into the territory of miracles, absurdities impossible to perform. Her barrier collapses, and she falls to the sands below, Garnet catching her just before impact.

 

  “Holy shit.” Amethyst whispers.

 

  “That shield!” Jasper’s eyes widen. “That symbol! You have the power of Rose Quartz!”

 

  “Now do you believe we needed reinforcements?” Homeworld Peridot voices.

 

  “Fire a barrage! Widespread!” Jasper orders, to which Homeworld Peridot is quick to acquiesce. “You!” She turns to the ruby. “Order your squadron out. Prepare to charge!”

 

  The ruby nods. “Yes Jasper!”

 

  The warship fires off a singular blast, carving a line in the sand. The detonation is delayed, leaving Amethyst and Garnet a fleeting to break for it, Connie in Garnet’s arms. 

 

  “Rose,” Connie hears Jasper over all the noise, “why do you look like that? Why are you so weak?”

 

  Rose?

 

  “Don’t hurt her!” Lapis tries again.

 

  Jasper looks at Lapis accusingly. “You knew about this.” She growls.

 

  “It wasn’t relevant to the mission!” Lapis tries to deflect.

 

  “Forget about the mission.” Jasper frowns.

 

  “What?” Homeworld Peridot objects.

 

  “Yellow Diamond needs to see this…” Jasper looks at Connie with disgust, unable to make out what she should think of her, “this thing.”

 

  Escaping from Garnet’s hold, Connie tries to stand. But the ludicrous amount of magical energy she’s just used in one go drains her, empties her to the point where it’s downright painful to just stand. Her limbs feel hollowed out, her flesh feels pained and sickly, as if her gem is draining whatever is left from the rest of her body to compensate for the magic now coursing through her now burning arm.

 

  Fortunately for Connie, she won’t need to fight Jasper in this state; Garnet charges the warrior gem head on, gauntlets formed.

 

  Unfortunately for the both of them, the match was already decided at birth; Jasper’s instincts catch Garnet at just the right moment, and forming on her skull, a gem weapon of her own. A tangerine crash helmet, hard as crystal, that she uses to block Garnet’s desperate charge with ease, throwing her back.

 

  “Connie, run!” Garnet orders, but even if Connie were in the mood to listen, she physically was incapable.

 

  Her magic was eating away at her hybrid body, as if to taunt a lowly human for daring to wander into the realm of magic.

 

  A second weapon is produced from Jasper; some sort of gold tuning fork that  **screams** with some sort of energy  **anathema** to the very essence of gemkind. Any gem would know what it would do to her upon contact through sheer visual recognition alone. 

 

  “Priming Gem destabilizer.”

 

  But Garnet isn’t fighting for her own survival in mind, she’s fighting for Connie at this point.

 

  And for all that Sapphire’s foresight can do for her, that Jasper wields virtual death in her arms goes virtually unnoticed by Garnet, until it’s too late.

 

  Garnet’s form freezes upon contact; she falls uselessly to the ground below, her form splitting, dividing, negating. Limbs come apart, shatter, break away. Amethyst gasps, Peridot screams, and Garnet’s eyes plead with all she has left.

 

_   ‘Run.’ _

 

  Once leader of the Crystal Gems, now a cloud of smoke leaving behind two gems in the sand; Ruby and Sapphire.

 

  The sight of it all gets Connie to forget. Forget about the searing pain in her arm, about the hollowing out of her limbs. Garnet, one of the few she can credibly call ‘mother,’ is gone. Defeated, vanquished, poofed, and soon to be shattered if she doesn’t do something-!

 

  Jasper approaches. “I was there you know. At the first war for this garbage planet. I fought against your armies. I respected your tactics.” She snaps, lifting her helpless body by the shirt. “But this? This is sick!”

 

  In the corner of her eye, she can see Amethyst, overwhelmed by the Ruby charge, around four of them, the fifth keeps hold on Peridot, helpless but an observer to all she watches. Lapis’s eyes are wide, pleading with whatever cosmic entity organizes the stars to let Connie be safe.

 

  And against it all, Connie bursts into spontaneous, unenjoyable laughter at Jasper’s mercy.

 

  “You really think I’m Rose!?” She sputters incredulously, unwilling to believe Jasper’s native.

 

  Jasper growls at her, struggling to keep herself in check.“I don't get what you're planning, Rose. But look?! Your base is taken. Your armies are ruined. You have failed!”

 

  The night air has been brought to a freezing cold, whether it be from weather fluctuations, adrenaline, the current state of her body, or the environmental disturbance of the warship. But the sky is clear, tranquil, more than it’s ever been. A good omen, all things considered.

 

  Garnet had always warned her about the difficulties of discerning the future. And with Garnet gone, all she had to follow now was her feelings.

 

  “Fuck you.” She spits at her, a final act of defiance.

 

  This felt right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> jasper is so hot


End file.
